Anticipatory Computing: from a High-Level Theory to Hybrid Computing Implementations

The perspective of natural phenomena as computational expression can help us find ways to carry out anticipatory computing. With this goal in mind, we can reach back to Feynman’s attempt to define quantum computation. His understanding that space-time states can be defined not only in reference to the past and the present, but also to the future proves significant for showing how anticipatory processes can be computationally simulated. Anticipatory computing is embodied in adaptive, non-deterministic, and open-ended information processes. Given the realization that failure to acknowledge anticipation results in major breakdowns (such as the current global financial crisis), the need for anticipation-based computational applications is higher than ever. In this article, an anticipatory control mechanism implemented for the automotive industry is presented.