Towards heterotic computing with droplets in a fully automated droplet-maker platform

Area of Science:

• Chemistry
• Chemical Engineering
• Systems Biology

Background:

• Complex chemical systems exhibit emergent behaviors, mimicking functions seen in living cells.
• Controlling these systems is challenging due to intricate interactions and transformations.
• Heterogeneous mixtures are common in complex chemical systems, leading to system-level functions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To outline an approach for understanding and exploring complex chemical systems.
• To investigate how to control system-level emergence of complex chemical behavior.
• To explore the potential of an automated droplet-maker platform as a prototype chemical computer.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing an automated droplet maker to precisely control droplet composition, size, and position.
• Investigating the spatio-temporal dynamics of droplets within a predefined chemical environment.
• Analyzing emergent system-level behaviors as programmable entities capable of information processing.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated an automated platform for controlled manipulation of chemical droplets.
• Explored the potential for system-level emergence and information processing in chemical systems.
• Presented initial data and example problems for chemically embodied computations.

Conclusions:

• The automated droplet-maker platform serves as a prototype for a chemical heterotic computer.
• This approach offers a new avenue for controlling and understanding complex chemical systems.
• The research opens possibilities for programmable chemical systems and embodied computation.