Training a molecular automaton to play a game.
Research at the interface between chemistry and cybernetics has led to reports of 'programmable molecules', but what does it mean to say 'we programmed a set of solution-phase molecules to do X'? A survey of recently implemented solution-phase circuitry indicates that this statement could be replaced with 'we pre-mixed a set of molecules to do X and functional subsets of X'. These hard-wired mixtures are then exposed to a set of molecular inputs, which can be interpreted as being keyed to human moves in a game, or as assertions of logical propositions. In nucleic acids-based systems, stemming from DNA computation, these inputs can be seen as generic oligonucleotides. Here, we report using reconfigurable nucleic acid catalyst-based units to build a multipurpose reprogrammable molecular automaton that goes beyond single-purpose 'hard-wired' molecular automata. The automaton covers all possible responses to two consecutive sets of four inputs (such as four first and four second moves for a generic set of trivial two-player two-move games). This is a model system for more general molecular field programmable gate array (FPGA)-like devices that can be programmed by example, which means that the operator need not have any knowledge of molecular computing methods.
Division of Experimental Therapeutics, Department of Medicine, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
Renjun
R
Pei
Elizabeth
E
Matamoros
Manhong
M
Liu
Darko
D
Stefanovic
Milan N
MN
Stojanovic
D001185:Artificial Intelligence; D002625:Chemistry, Organic / Q000379:methods; D039301:Computers, Molecular; D003491:Cybernetics; D005716:Game Theory; D036103:Nanotechnology / Q000379:methods*; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D009841:Oligonucleotides / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry*
D009841:Oligonucleotides