Programming Methodology for Biologically-Inspired Self-Assembling Systems

Abstract

We present a programming methodology for self-assembling complex structures from vast numbers of locally-interacting identically-programmed agents, using techniques inspired by developmental biology. We demonstrate this approach through two examples: shape formation on a reconfigurable sheet, and self-assembling two dimensional structures through replication. In each case, the desired global shape is specified using an abstract geometry-based language, and the agent program is directly compiled from the global specification. The resulting