Morphogenetic Engineering: Reconciling Self-Organization and Architecture

Abstract Generally, phenomena of spontaneous pattern formation are random and repetitive, whereas elaborate devices are the deterministic product of human design. Yet, biological organisms and collective insect constructions are exceptional exam-ples of complex systems that are both architectured and self-organized. Can we understand their precise self-formation capabilities and integrate them with tech-nological planning? Can physical systems be endowed with information, or infor-mational systems be embedded in physics, to create autonomous morphologies and functions? This book is the first initiative of its kind toward establishing a new field of research, Morphogenetic Engineering, to explore the modeling and implementa-tion of “self-architecturing ” systems. Particular emphasis is set on the programma-bility and computational abilities of self-organization, properties that are often un-derappreciated in complex systems science—while, conversely, the benefits of self-organization are often underappreciated in engineering methodologies.