Steering plasmodium with light: Dynamical programming of Physarum machine

TL;DR

This paper explores how light can be used to control and program the behavior of Physarum polycephalum, enabling its application in bio-computing through precise manipulation of its dynamics.

Contribution

It introduces a method to steer and shape plasmodium using localized illumination, advancing the development of bio-computing devices based on Physarum.

Findings

Plasmodium exhibits wave-like responses to light stimuli.

Illumination patterns can precisely control plasmodium movement.

The study draws analogies between plasmodium dynamics and excitable media.

Abstract

A plasmodium of Physarum polycephalum is a very large cell visible by unaided eye. The plasmodium is capable for distributed sensing, parallel information processing, and decentralized optimization. It is an ideal substrate for future and emerging bio-computing devices. We study space-time dynamics of plasmodium reactiom to localised illumination, and provide analogies between propagating plasmodium and travelling wave-fragments in excitable media. We show how plasmodium-based computing devices can be precisely controlled and shaped by planar domains of illumination.