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What robotics can learn from amoebae
22 Nov 2022
LMU researchers have developed a new model to describe how biological or technical systems form complex structures without external guidance.
Amoebae are single-cell organisms. By means of self-organization, they can form complex structures – and do this purely through local interactions: If they have a lot of food, they disperse evenly through a culture medium. But if food becomes scarce, they emit the messenger known as cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP). This chemical signal induces amoebae to gather in one place and form a multicellular aggregation. The result is a fruiting body.