Abstract. Embryological development provides an inspiring example of the creation of complex hierarchical structures by self-organization. Likewise, biological metamorphosis shows how these complex systems can radically restructure themselves. Our research investigates these principles and their application to artificial systems in order to create intricately structured systems that are ordered from the nanoscale up to the macroscale. However these processes depend on mutually interdependent unfoldings of an information process and of the “body ” in which it is occurring. Such embodied computation provides challenges as well as opportunities, and in order to fulfill its promise, we need both formal and informal models for conceptualizing, designing, and reasoning about embodied computation. This paper presents a preliminary design for one such model especially oriented toward artificial morphogenesis.

Int. Journ. of Unconventional Computing, Vol. 0, pp. 1–21 Reprints available directly from the publisher Photocopying permitted by license only