BIC: EMT: Cooperative and Adaptive Behaviors By Molecular Robots

具有合作和适应行为能力的人造分子级机器人目前仍然停留在科幻小说的领域。 然而，我们将证明，分子行为类似于宏观机器人确实可以显示简单形式的合作和适应，当挑战某些任务。 这些我们称之为“蛇”的“分子机器人”由包含多个催化单元的核酸链组成。 它们在覆盖着基质的地形上移动（“行走”），在它们身后留下分裂基质的痕迹。 我们将研究这些分子机器人从溶液中整合额外催化片段（肢体）或形成二聚体的能力，当我们迫使它们进行更长的行走时。 那些获得额外肢体或形成合作二聚体的蛇，在恶劣的环境中生存下来，将被允许扩增。 这样的实验将有助于在未来创造出具有群体智能和分布式计算能力的分子机器人。

Artificial molecular-scale robots capable of cooperative and adaptive behavior currently reside firmly in the realm of science fiction. However, we will demonstrate that molecules behaving similarly to macroscopic robots can indeed display simple forms of cooperation and adaptation, when challenged with certain tasks. These "molecular robots" which we call "snakes" consists of chains of nucleic acids incorporating multiple catalytic units. They move ("walk") over landscapes covered with substrates, leaving a trail of cleaved substrates behind them. We will study the ability of these molecular robots to integrate additional catalytic segments (limbs) from the solution, or to form dimers, when we force them to perform longer walks. Those snakes that acquire additional limbs, or form cooperating dimers, while surviving harsh conditions, will be allowed to amplify. Such experiments will help create in the future molecular robots that display swarm intelligence and that are capable of distributive computing.