Morphogenesis as a model for nano communication

The creation of physical objects with a complex hierarchical structure from the nanoscale up to the macroscale presents many challenges that must be met in order to reap the full benefits of nanotechnology. To accomplish this we can learn from a natural process that already accomplishes it: embryological morphogenesis, which teaches us means by which microscopic agents can communicate and coordinate their activity by means of molecular signals in order to create complex physical structures. We call the application of these ideas artificial morphogenesis; it is a kind of embodied computation, which refers to the intimate interaction of physical and information processes. We outline the basis for artificial morphogenesis and present several simple examples in which biologically inspired models can be used to describe the assembly of useful nanostructures.