Chaplin Jack C, Krasnogor Natalio, Russell Noah A
Neurophotonics Lab, Schools of Biology, and Electrical and Electronic Engineering, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK; Institute for Advanced Manufacturing, Faculty of Engineering, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD UK.
Interdisciplinary Computing and Complex BioSystems (ICOS) Research Group, School of Computing Science, Newcastle University, Newcastle NE1 7RU, UK.
Biosystems. 2014 Dec;126:12-26. doi: 10.1016/j.biosystems.2014.09.004. Epub 2014 Oct 3.
Unconventional computing is an area of research in which novel materials and paradigms are utilised to implement computation. Previously we have demonstrated how registers, logic gates and logic circuits can be implemented, unconventionally, with a biocompatible molecular switch, NitroBIPS, embedded in a polymer matrix. NitroBIPS and related molecules have been shown elsewhere to be capable of modifying many biological processes in a manner that is dependent on its molecular form. Thus, one possible application of this type of unconventional computing is to embed computational processes into biological systems. Here we expand on our earlier proof-of-principle work and demonstrate that universal computation can be implemented using NitroBIPS. We have previously shown that spatially localised computational elements, including registers and logic gates, can be produced. We explain how parallel registers can be implemented, then demonstrate an application of parallel registers in the form of Turing machine tapes, and demonstrate both parallel registers and logic circuits in the form of elementary cellular automata. The Turing machines and elementary cellular automata utilise the same samples and same hardware to implement their registers, logic gates and logic circuits; and both represent examples of universal computing paradigms. This shows that homogenous photochromic computational devices can be dynamically repurposed without invasive reconfiguration. The result represents an important, necessary step towards demonstrating the general feasibility of interfacial computation embedded in biological systems or other unconventional materials and environments.
非传统计算是一个研究领域，在该领域中利用新型材料和范式来实现计算。此前我们已经展示了寄存器、逻辑门和逻辑电路如何能够通过嵌入聚合物基质中的生物相容性分子开关NitroBIPS以非传统方式实现。NitroBIPS及相关分子在其他地方已被证明能够以取决于其分子形式的方式改变许多生物过程。因此，这种类型的非传统计算的一种可能应用是将计算过程嵌入生物系统。在此我们扩展了我们早期的原理验证工作，并证明使用NitroBIPS可以实现通用计算。我们之前已经表明可以生产包括寄存器和逻辑门在内的空间局部化计算元件。我们解释了如何实现并行寄存器，然后展示了以图灵机磁带形式的并行寄存器的应用，并以基本细胞自动机的形式展示了并行寄存器和逻辑电路。图灵机和基本细胞自动机利用相同的样本和相同的硬件来实现它们的寄存器、逻辑门和逻辑电路；并且两者都代表通用计算范式的示例。这表明同质光致变色计算设备可以在不进行侵入性重新配置的情况下动态重新利用。该结果代表了朝着证明嵌入生物系统或其他非传统材料及环境中的界面计算的一般可行性迈出的重要且必要的一步。
