Defining Immunity-Based Systems

This chapter defines immunity-based systems (IMBS) in relation to the immune system as an information system summarized in Chap. 3. To clarify the informational features of IMBS, the metaphor of weighing objects is used. The nature of IMBS is condensed as three properties: a self-maintenance system based on the “self” counterpart of the system, a distributed system forming an ad hoc network with specific recognition, and an adaptive system based on “selection” (as opposed to “instruction”). Other views for developing information systems related to the immune system are also reviewed briefly.