1. Bio-Hybrid Systems for Ecosystem Level Effects
- Author
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Alexandre Campo, David Dormagen, Daniel Nicolas Hofstadler, Martin Stefanec, Robert T. E. Mills, Aleksejs Zacepins, Rafael Barmak, Matthieu Broisin, Jutta Vollmann, Asya Ilgün, Vitalijs Komasilovs, Francesco Mondada, Erol Bairaktarov, Martina Szopek, Sarah Schönwetter-Fuchs, Heinrich Mellmann, Thomas Schmickl, Ronald Thenius, Armands Kviesis, Sergey Petrov, Jean-Louis Deneubourg, Kostadin Angelov, Tim Landgraf, Matthias A. Becher, Verena V. Hafner, Martin H. Kärcher, Stamatios C. Nicolis, Volha Taliaronak, and Valerin Stokanic
- Subjects
Extinction event ,Ecology ,Organismic Augmentation ,Ecology (disciplines) ,Ecosystem Hacking ,Smart Hives ,Bio-Hybrids ,Honeybees ,Animal-Robot Interaction ,13. Climate action ,Hybrid system ,Environmental science ,Mass Extinction ,Bio-Hybrid Socialization ,Ecosystem level - 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.
- Published
- 2021