title: On hybrid circuits exploiting thermistive properties of slime mould.
abstract: Slime mould Physarum polycephalum is a single cell visible by the unaided eye. Let the slime mould span two electrodes with a single protoplasmic tube: if the tube is heated to approximately ≈40 °C, the electrical resistance of the protoplasmic tube increases from ≈3 MΩ to ≈10,000 MΩ. The organism's resistance is not proportional nor correlated to the temperature of its environment. Slime mould can therefore not be considered as a thermistor but rather as a thermic switch. We employ the P. polycephalum thermic switch to prototype hybrid electrical analog summator, NAND gates, and cascade the gates into Flip-Flop latch. Computing operations performed on this bio-hybrid computing circuitry feature high repeatability, reproducibility and comparably low propagation delays.
authors.affiliation: Unconventional Computing Center, University of the West of England, Bristol, BS16 1QY, United Kingdom.|Bristol Bio-Energy Center, Universities of Bristol and of the West of England, Bristol, BS16 1QY, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Xavier Alexis
authors.initials: XA
authors.lastname: Walter
authors.affiliation: Bristol Bio-Energy Center, Universities of Bristol and of the West of England, Bristol, BS16 1QY, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Ian
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Horsfield
authors.affiliation: Unconventional Computing Center, University of the West of England, Bristol, BS16 1QY, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mayne
authors.affiliation: Bristol Bio-Energy Center, Universities of Bristol and of the West of England, Bristol, BS16 1QY, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Ioannis A
authors.initials: IA
authors.lastname: Ieropoulos
authors.affiliation: Unconventional Computing Center, University of the West of England, Bristol, BS16 1QY, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Adamatzky
mesh_terms: D000362:Agar / Q000737:chemistry; D003593:Cytoplasm / Q000378:metabolism; D017097:Electric Impedance; D004566:Electrodes; D004594:Electrophysiology / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D006358:Hot Temperature; D009068:Movement; D016839:Physarum polycephalum / Q000502:physiology*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results
chemical_list: D000362:Agar