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Shortest Path Finding in Mazes by Active and Passive Particles

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Shortest Path Solvers. From Software to Wetware

Part of the book series: Emergence, Complexity and Computation ((ECC,volume 32))

Abstract

Maze solving and finding the shortest path or all possible exit paths in mazes can be interpreted as mathematical problems which can be solved algorithmically. These algorithms can be used by both living entities (such as humans, animals, cells) and non-living systems (computer programs, simulators, robots, particles). In this chapter we summarize several chemistry-based concepts for maze solving in two-dimensional standard mazes which rely on surface tension driven phenomena at the air-liquid interface. We show that maze solving can be implemented by using: (i) active (self-propelled) droplets and/or (ii) passive particles (chemical entities).

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Acknowledgements

J. Č. was financially supported by the Czech Science Foundation (Grant No. 17-21696Y). Other authors acknowledge the financial support of the Hungarian Research Fund (OTKA K104666). Financial support for R. T. by the Marie Heim-Vogtlin Program under project no PMPDP2-139698 is gratefully acknowledged. D. U. and I. L. gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the National Research, Development and Innovation Office of Hungary (TÉT12JP-1-2014-0005).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Chemistry and Technology Prague, Prague, Czechia

    Jitka Čejková

  2. Laboratory for High Performance Ceramics, Empa, Dübendorf, Switzerland

    Rita Tóth & Artur Braun

  3. School of Mathematics, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK

    Michal Branicki

  4. Faculty of Engineering, Musashino University, Tokyo, Japan

    Daishin Ueyama

  5. Department of Physics, Budapest University of Technology and Economics and MTA-BME Condensed Matter Research Group, Budapest, Hungary

    István Lagzi

Authors
  1. Jitka Čejková
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  2. Rita Tóth
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  3. Artur Braun
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  4. Michal Branicki
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  5. Daishin Ueyama
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  6. István Lagzi
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jitka Čejková .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Unconventional Computing Centre, University of the West of England, Bristol, United Kingdom

    Andrew Adamatzky

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Čejková, J., Tóth, R., Braun, A., Branicki, M., Ueyama, D., Lagzi, I. (2018). Shortest Path Finding in Mazes by Active and Passive Particles. In: Adamatzky, A. (eds) Shortest Path Solvers. From Software to Wetware. Emergence, Complexity and Computation, vol 32. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-77510-4_15

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-77510-4_15

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-77509-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-77510-4

  • eBook Packages: EngineeringEngineering (R0)

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