Steering plasmodium with light: Dynamical programming of Physarum machine

Abstract: A plasmodium of Physarum polycephalum is a very large cell visible by unaided eye. The plasmodium is capable for distributed sensing, parallel information processing, and decentralized optimization. It is an ideal substrate for future and emerging bio-computing devices. We study space-time dynamics of plasmodium reactiom to localised illumination, and provide analogies between propagating plasmodium and travelling wave-fragments in excitable media. We show how plasmodium-based computing devices can be precisely controlled and shaped by planar domains of illumination.