Engineering of highly autonomous biosystems: Review of the relevant literature

Abstract

This article is a general guide to the literature associated with the development of highly autonomous biosystems. The specific context of the article is the EcoCyborg Project, in which computer models are used to investigate the engineering of ecosystems combined with artificially intelligent control networks. The project exists at the nexus of several expansive fields of research, and the review therefore is not comprehensive. Instead, it is a general guide to the literature associated with the relevant themes. First we give the definition of a biosystem as an adaptive, complex, dynamic system that is alive to some degree. A brief overview is given of the historical development of holistic ecology, followed by a discussion of what it means for a system to be “alive.” Second we review the engineering of natural, modified, and entirely artificial biosystems for various purposes. The next section is on the engineering of biosystems for autonomy, including the characterization of mind, artificial intelligence, the implementation of mind in biosystems, and the history and current nature of the EcoCyborg Project. Finally, mention is made of techniques for the characterization and comparison of highly autonomous biosystems, since these techniques are necessary both for the objective study of such systems and for their own self-examination and control. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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