Abstract
This paper reviews the history of embedded, evolvable self-replicating structures implemented as cellular automata systems. We relate recent advances in this field to the concept of the evolutionary growth of complexity, a term introduced by McMullin to describe the central idea contained in von Neumann's self-reproducing automata theory. We show that conditions for such growth are in principle satisfied by universal constructors, yet that in practice much simpler replicators may satisfy scaled-down - yet equally relevant - versions thereof. Examples of such evolvable self-replicators are described and discussed, and future challenges identified.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 161-171 |
| Number of pages | 11 |
| Journal | Lecture Notes in Computer Science (including subseries Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence and Lecture Notes in Bioinformatics) |
| Volume | 3305 |
| Publication status | Published - 2004 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Fingerprint
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Theoretical Computer Science
- Computer Science(all)