JohnnyVon 2.0

JohnnyVon 2.0 is a computational simulation of nanoscale machines (nanobots) floating in a virtual liquid. The simulation implements an approach to self-replication and self-assembly for manufacturing.

Pictured below are several views from a single run of the simulation. The run begins with a virtual soup of 747 randomly drifting unbonded nanobots and a seed string (visible as a horizontal line in the centre of the first view) of three bonded nanobots, encoding instructions for building a triangular mesh. The seed string self-replicates and the copies fold to form triangles. The triangles then self-assemble to form a mesh. A variety of polygonal meshes can be constructed by specifying different seed strings.

Time is indicated below in number of iterations of the simulation. These images were used on the cover of several issues of Artificial Life.

JohnnyVon 2.0

Time: 0

Time: 1,180

Time: 2,540

Time: 3,160

Time: 6,200

Time: 7,620

Time: 10,480

Time: 13,340

Time: 15,240

Time: 17,660

Time: 20,600

Time: 24,260

Time: 29,260

Time: 36,040

Time: 39,680

Time: 43,340

Time: 47,780

Time: 51,560

Time: 59,960

Time: 71,640

Time: 80,820

Time: 90,880

Time: 110,080

Time: 119,500

Time: 136,540

Time: 166,020

Time: 199,420