Simple Collision-Based Chemical Logic Gates with Adaptive Computing

We present a method that is capable of implementing information transfer without any rigidly controlled architecture using the light-sensitive Belousov-Zhabotinsky (BZ) reaction system. Chemical wave fragments are injected into a subexcitable area and their collisions result in annihilation, fusion or quasi-elastic interactions depending on their initial positions. The fragments of excitation both pre and post collision possess a considerable freedom of movement when compared to previous implementations of information transfer in chemical systems. We propose that the collision of such wave fragments can be controlled automatically through adaptive computing. By extension, forms of unconventional computing, i.e., massively parallel non-linear computers, can be realised by such an approach. In this study we present initial results from using a simple evolutionary algorithm to design Boolean logic gates within the BZ system. [Article copies are available for purchase from InfoSci-on-Demand.com]