Search arXiv⌕ Search
Home/Archive/arXiv

arXiv · cs/0607133

Self-Replication and Self-Assembly for Manufacturing

Robert Ewaschuk·Peter D. Turney
View original source ↗Read source document ↗Export metadata ↓

Abstract

It has been argued that a central objective of nanotechnology is to make products inexpensively, and that self-replication is an effective approach to very low-cost manufacturing. The research presented here is intended to be a step towards this vision. We describe a computational simulation of nanoscale machines floating in a virtual liquid. The machines can bond together to form strands (chains) that self-replicate and self-assemble into user-specified meshes. There are four types of machines and the sequence of machine types in a strand determines the shape of the mesh they will build. A strand may be in an unfolded state, in which the bonds are straight, or in a folded state, in which the bond angles depend on the types of machines. By choosing the sequence of machine types in a strand, the user can specify a variety of polygonal shapes. A simulation typically begins with an initial unfolded seed strand in a soup of unbonded machines. The seed strand replicates by bonding with free machines in the soup. The child strands fold into the encoded polygonal shape, and then the polygons drift together and bond to form a mesh. We demonstrate that a variety of polygonal meshes can be manufactured in the simulation, by simply changing the sequence of machine types in the seed.

Explore related subjects

cs.MAcs.CE

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeXRIS

Robert Ewaschuk, Peter D. Turney. 2006-07-27. Self-Replication and Self-Assembly for Manufacturing. https://doi.org/10.1162/artl.2006.12.3.411

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related papers

arXiv2026

Designing with Cinematic Language: An Intent-Driven Approach to Human-AI Video Clip Co-Creation

Generative video models have made video creation more accessible, yet creators still struggle to translate high-level narrative intentions into coherent cinematic expressions. Existing systems primarily rely on prompt refinement or expose isolated camera controls, leaving a gap between what to express and how to film it. We present CineAssist, a human-AI co-creation system that treats cinematic language as an interactive design medium connecting creative intentions with executable video controls. We construct a Cinematic Language Design Space and an annotated dataset from 107 filmmaking sources and 1,436 film clips, linking communicative intentions to cinematic parameter values. CineAssist combines a multi-agent workflow for intent alignment and strategy recommendation with an interactive cinematic editor and a context-sensitive preference learner for user-controlled personalization. We evaluate the system through three studies examining end-to-end usability, cinematic quality, and preference evolution. Results show that CineAssist facilitates efficient, controllable, and personalized intent-driven cinematic video creation.

cs.MA↗
arXiv2026

Design of Multi-UAV Cooperative Deep Semantic Autoencoders for Communication Networks

Driven by the rapid development of the low-altitude economy, Uncrewed Aerial Vehicle (UAV) networks have become increasingly important for executing tasks such as search, rescue, and monitoring. However, under bandwidth-constrained scenarios, UAV networks still face significant challenges in task execution efficiency and intelligent processing capabilities. To address these issues, we propose Multi-UAV Cooperative Deep Semantic Autoencoders (MC-DSA) for communication networks. The architecture comprises one Task UAV (T-UAV) and multiple Support UAVs (S-UAVs), which jointly enhance communication efficiency and data-processing capability via semantic communication and cooperation. Specifically, we introduce a semantic matching and source selection mechanism, enabling the proposed MC-DSA to handle low-quality images while ensuring effective utilization of high-quality images. The T-UAV broadcasts a task query, and each S-UAV computes the semantic similarity between its local image and the query. Communication links are established only when the similarity exceeds a predefined threshold. The training algorithm optimizes network parameters through gradient descent, improving semantic feature extraction accuracy. The testing algorithm evaluates UAV collaboration efficiency and communication quality. Experimental results demonstrate that, compared with benchmarks, the proposed MC-DSA improves image semantic segmentation accuracy while maintaining task execution efficiency. As a result, it reduces redundant transmissions and offers an effective solution for multi-UAV communication networks.

cs.MA↗
arXiv2026

Connectivity Preservation and Graph Stretching in Range-Only Swarm Dispersion

We study connectivity-preserving finite-jump dispersion of anonymous, identical, and oblivious agents under an idealized range-only sensing model. Each agent measures only the distances to its visible neighbors, without bearings, identifiers, communication, memory, or a shared coordinate system. We derive the largest isotropic displacement certifiable as safe from these measurements alone. The resulting rule requires only the distance to the farthest visible neighbor: each agent selects a random direction and moves by half of its remaining visibility margin. The rule preserves every existing visibility edge under synchronous finite motion and therefore preserves connectivity. For two agents, we prove positive conditional drift in squared distance, almost-sure convergence to the visibility boundary, and finite expected time to reach any fixed neighborhood of that boundary. A one-million-run Monte Carlo experiment agrees with the exact first-round moments and estimates approximately 9.5 rounds to reach distance 0.97V from coincident initial positions; an independent Bellman-equation computation gives the same estimate. For general swarms, 1,000 runs across five initial-topology classes reproduce the deterministic safety guarantee at implementation level and reveal a consistent topology-dependent ordering of attainable diameter under the tested protocol. These results provide a theoretical foundation for connectivity-preserving multi-robot dispersion under minimal sensing, while isolating the guarantees achievable from anonymous range measurements alone.

cs.MA↗