A massively distributed supercomputing platform for the ongoing modelling and simulation of evolvable nanotechnology.

We firmly believe that the converging fields of nanotechnology, evolutionary computing, and pervasive networking together represent both the greatest opportunity and threat for our universe.

We think that the safest and best way forward as these fields merge is to provide a virtual environment for self-replicating machines running evolving software to be tested, evaluated and even farmed. This is no trivial task. If we are to avoid the so called 'gray goo' problem, and at the same time harness the power of natural selection, we must find ways of containing self-replicators while the possibility of their 'going postal' exists.

To this end, we will be deploying a massively parallel supercomputer based on the "generic workers around a shared jobs bag" pattern. It provides a very simple structure for the distributed comutation of all manner of scenarios.

We seek the following intersectable sets of collaborators:

To register your interest, please provide your email address and indicate the nature of your interest using the checkboxes below.

  • Helpers - People willing to run services of the distributed computing platform on their computers for some, if not all day. You should have installed Java1.2 or better. Mac Users note Java1.2 will not be available until the release of MacOS X. We will make available a a suite of Jini Services as a single installer and simple launch interface.
  • Developers - Java programmers familiar with CVS and other Open Source tools for distributed development who are keen to write simulation scenarios, simulation components and various utilities, visualisation tools, high level editors and user interfaces. We will provide a simple upload utility for adding new simulations to the network.
  • Gardeners - Bringing up healthy, usefull nanotechology simulation is a lot like gardening. The gardens will need constant weeding, and the more people willing to keep an occasional eye on a crop of networked nanobots the better. We will provide simple browser utilities enabling you to provide critical feedback to active simulations.
  • Writers - Like any community, we want to be social, and we want to make sure that everyone who is interested can get the most out of the efforts of the community. We want commentators to comment, critics to critique, and writers to write. By imagining the future, we can help ward off many disasters without even having to simulate them. Speculative fiction is simulation.
  • Visual Artists - Visual representations of possible scenarios, "an artist's impression", if you can draw, paint or 3d render we need your help. First up we need a logo which simply illustrates both the collective and the various aspects of the gRobots project.

Where are you physicaly sited?

Other Comments:

Your URI (if you have one)

All registrations of interest will be confirmed by email. We will not provide your email address to any third party.

Who is behind the gRobots project?

We are 4 private individuals who have come together to kick start the gRobots project. It is our intention to establish a not-for-profit company structure along the lines of the Foresight Institute. In the meantime we are not a legally incorporated body, but an ensemble of impassioned professionals. We are not soliciting funds of any kind.

  • Dave Sag
    Dave has been writing and programming on the themes of Artificial Life and Nanotechnology for almost 20 years. He is a Senior Associate of the Foresight Institute and Director/Equity partner in a diverse range of commercial and non-commercial online projects. He is internationally regarded as an artist, programmer, business person and portable whole.
  • David (DayV) Parry.
    In 1984 DayV owned the only copy of Mandelbrot's "the fractal geometry of nature" in Australia. He has been obsessed with self replicating forms, evolutionary comupting and nanotechnolgy almost as a consequence of his earlier obsessions with electronic music and mathematics. He is most recently the author of a handy tutorial on XSP Logic sheets. He is a member of the Eurpoean Technology Forum, and God Emperor King of the virtual nation of Suran.
  • Dr Phillip Blythe
    Phil is an interdisciplinary scientist, with fingers in many different research pies. Originally an aeronautical engineer, He has since conducted research in adaptive computation, control theory, cognitive psychology, and economics. There have been three central themes that have remained with him through each of these various research projects; evolution, dynamic systems and decision making. He was recently a visiting professor to the Centre for Adaptive Behaviour at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development.
  • Anthony Aldridge
    Tony is a musician, inventor, programmer and all round chaos junkie. He's worked on virtual interfaces for the blind, recorded servral albums and for a while ran the UK's largest music technology department at University of London. He is also a specialist software security expert and quite a dab hand at opening a beer bottle with a cigarette lighter.

Links of relevance

Warm thanks to Chad Udell ( ) for the banner graphic.