Self-inspection based reproduction in cellular automata

Abstract

In this work we analyze different existing cellular automata capable of reproducing, and conclude that reproduction in those models is attained as a fixed point of the more general operation of construction, instead of being founded as a higher level specialized mechanism. Thus reproduction becomes a very unstable property and this fact is an obstacle in the aim of studying it together with other Alife characteristics, mainly because of destructive interactions. We propose a cellular reproduction model based on self-inspection as an attempt to overcome at least partially these drawbacks. We argue that our model attains a better founded an more robust reproduction scheme, and briefly explore the possibilities of using it to model the emergence of reproducing structures, to study the interplay between autonomy and reproduction, and to use it as a basis for evolutionary experimental scenarios.