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Morphogenetic Engineering: Reconciling Self-Organization and Architecture

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Morphogenetic Engineering

Part of the book series: Understanding Complex Systems ((UCS))

Abstract

Generally, phenomena of spontaneous pattern formation are random and repetitive, whereas elaborate devices are the deterministic product of human design. Yet, biological organisms and collective insect constructions are exceptional examples of complex systems that are both architectured and self-organized. Can we understand their precise self-formation capabilities and integrate them with technological planning? Can physical systems be endowed with information, or informational systems be embedded in physics, to create autonomous morphologies and functions? This book is the first initiative of its kind toward establishing a new field of research, Morphogenetic Engineering, to explore the modeling and implementation of “self-architecturing” systems. Particular emphasis is set on the programmability and computational abilities of self-organization, properties that are often underappreciated in complex systems science—while, conversely, the benefits of self-organization are often underappreciated in engineering methodologies.

This chapter is an extended version of Refs. [16, 17]

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Complex Systems Institute, Paris Ile-de-France (ISC-PIF), CNRS & Ecole Polytechnique, 57–59, rue Lhomond, 75005, Paris, France

    René Doursat

  2. Collective Dynamics of Complex Systems Research Group (CoCo), Departments of Bioengineering & Systems Science and Industrial Engineering, Binghamton University, SUNY, Binghamton, NY, 13902-6000, USA

    Hiroki Sayama

  3. Algorithmic, Complexity and Logic Laboratory (LACL), Department of Computer Science, Université de Paris-Est Créteil, 94010, Créteil, France

    Olivier Michel

Authors
  1. René Doursat
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  2. Hiroki Sayama
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  3. Olivier Michel
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to René Doursat .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institut des Systèmes Complexes, Paris Ile-de-France, Ecole Polytechnique, rue Lhomond 57-59, Paris, 75005, France

    René Doursat

  2. Binghamton University, Dept. Bioengineering, State University of New York, Binghamton, 13902-6000, New York, USA

    Hiroki Sayama

  3. Faculté des Sciences et Technologie, Lab. LACL-EA 4219, Université Paris-Est Créteil, avenue due Général de Gaulle 61, Créteil Cedex, 94010, France

    Olivier Michel

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Doursat, R., Sayama, H., Michel, O. (2012). Morphogenetic Engineering: Reconciling Self-Organization and Architecture. In: Doursat, R., Sayama, H., Michel, O. (eds) Morphogenetic Engineering. Understanding Complex Systems. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-33902-8_1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-33902-8_1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-33901-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-33902-8

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