Deus Ex Machina: Engineering Emergence in an Amorphous Computer

An amorphous computer is a multitude of tiny computers each with a CPU, memory, and local communication capability. An iSurface is a particular instance of an amorphous computer, an “intelligent” coasting capable of computing, sensing and some limited output. This can be regarded as a massively parallel computing system, albeit one with random structure and unreliable nodes, and, as such, is likely to be extremely difficult to program conventionally. Prior research into amorphous computing suggests that utilising principles of self-organisation is successful in providing some functionality to an amorphous computer. Here we argue there is a definite need for techniques in engineering emergent functionality to match user requirements; the development of systems that utilise self-organisation in a user-directed manner. We present an early version of a methodology to do this and an example of its successful usage.