Bio-Hybrid Systems for Ecosystem Level Effects
Asya Ilgün, Kostadin Angelov, Martin Stefanec, Sarah Schönwetter-Fuchs, Valerin Stokanic, Jutta Vollmann, Daniel Nicolas Hofstadler, Martin H. Kärcher, Heinrich Mellmann, Volha Taliaronak, Armands Kviesis, Vitālijs Komašilovs, Matthias A. Becher, Martina Szopek, David M Dormagen, Rafael Barmak, Erol Bairaktarov, Matthieu Broisin, Ronald Thenius, Rob Mills, Stamatios C. Nicolis, Alexandre Campo, Aleksejs Zacepins, S. Petrov, Jean‐Louis Deneubourg, Francesco Mondada, Tim Landgraf, Verena V. Hafner, Thomas Schmickl
Abstract
In a time marked by ecological decay and by the perspective of a severe backlash of this ecosystem decay and climate devastation onto human society, bold moves that employ novel technology to counteract this decline are required. We present a novel concept of employing Artificial Life technology, in the form of cybernetically enhanced bio-hybrid superorganisms as a countermeasure and as a contingency plan. We describe our general conceptual paradigm, consisting of three interacting action plans, namely: (1) Organismic Augmentation; (2) Bio-Hybrid Socialization and (3) Ecosystem Hacking, which together compose a method to create a novel agent for ecosystem stabilization. We demonstrate, through early results from the research project HIVEOPOLIS, a specific way how classic Artificial Life technologies can create such a living, ecologically active and technologically-augmented superorganism that operates outside in the field. These technologies range from cellular automata and biomimetic robots to novel and sustainable biocompatible materials. Aiming at having a real-world impact on the society that relies on our biosphere is an important aspect in Artificial Life research and is fundamental to our methodology to create a physically embodied and useful form of Artificial Life.