title: Cell-Division Behavior in a Heterogeneous Swarm Environment.
abstract: We present a system of virtual particles that interact using simple kinetic rules. It is known that heterogeneous mixtures of particles can produce particularly interesting behaviors. Here we present a two-species three-dimensional swarm in which a behavior emerges that resembles cell division. We show that the dividing behavior exists across a narrow but finite band of parameters and for a wide range of population sizes. When executed in a two-dimensional environment the swarm's characteristics and dynamism manifest differently. In further experiments we show that repeated divisions can occur if the system is extended by a biased equilibrium process to control the split of populations. We propose that this repeated division behavior provides a simple model for cell-division mechanisms and is of interest for the formation of morphological structure and to swarm robotics.
authors.forename: Adam
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Erskine
authors.affiliation: University of Edinburgh.
authors.forename: J Michael
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Herrmann
keywords: Heterogeneous swarm; cell division; emergent behavior; swarm chemistry