A Computer Constructed From a Consortium of Live Crabs
If biomimicry is the instance of technology emulating natural processes, then this must be something like the opposite: researchers at Kobe University have built a computer out of crabs. Placed within a geometrically constrained environment, swarms of soldier crabs can be effectively used to emulate logic gates. In other words, researchers have replicated the fundamental workings of a computer--with crabs. The crabs in question, soldier crabs, live in large groups in lagoon environments. When they move they swarm, with no real discernible leader. Crabs near the edges of the group exhibit serious leadership qualities, keeping the group together and moving in a direction as a cohesive body. Crabs in the interior of the group go with the flow, following their neighbors who are following their neighbors who are following the leaders at the edges. Related ArticlesA Computer That Processes Faster Than The Speed of LightA Supercomputer Takes on JeopardyComputer Algorithm Can...