# Deterministic Leader Election in Programmable Matter

## TL;DR

This paper introduces the first deterministic leader election algorithm for programmable matter systems of amoebots, utilizing their movement capabilities and addressing previous limitations of randomness and assumptions.

## Contribution

It presents a novel deterministic algorithm for leader election in amoebot systems, including a new procedure for achieving common chirality among amoebots.

## Key findings

- First deterministic leader election algorithm for amoebots
- Introduces a chirality consensus procedure
- Utilizes amoebots' movement capabilities in the algorithm

## Abstract

Addressing a fundamental problem in programmable matter, we present the first deterministic algorithm to elect a unique leader in a system of connected amoebots assuming only that amoebots are initially contracted. Previous algorithms either used randomization, made various assumptions (shapes with no holes, or known shared chirality), or elected several co-leaders in some cases. Some of the building blocks we introduce in constructing the algorithm are of interest by themselves, especially the procedure we present for reaching common chirality among the amoebots. Given the leader election and the chirality agreement building block, it is known that various tasks in programmable matter can be performed or improved. The main idea of the new algorithm is the usage of the ability of the amoebots to move, which previous leader election algorithms have not used.