Liquid Cybernetic Systems: The Fourth‐Order Cybernetics

Abstract

Technological development in robotics, computing architectures and devices, and information storage systems, in one single word: cybernetic systems, has progressed according to a jeopardized connection scheme, difficult if not impossible to track and picture in all its streams. Aim of this progress report is to critically introduce the most relevant limits and present a promising paradigm that might bring new momentum, offering features that naturally and elegantly overcome current challenges and introduce several other advantages: liquid cybernetic systems. The topic describing the four orders of cybernetic systems identified so far is introduced, evidencing the features of the fourth order that includes liquid systems. Then, current limitations to the development of conventional, von Neumann‐based cybernetic systems are briefly discussed: device integration, thermal design, data throughput, and energy consumption. In the following sections, liquid‐state machines are introduced, providing a computational paradigm (free from in materio considerations) that goes into the direction of solving such issues. Two original in materio implementation schemes are proposed: the COlloIdal demonsTratOR (COgITOR) autonomous robot, and a soft holonomic processor that is also proposed to realize an autolographic system.

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