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Christof Teuscher

Publications and source records attributed to Christof Teuscher.

4 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

From membranes to systems: self-configuration and self-replication in membrane systems.

Membrane systems are purely abstract computational models afar inspired by biological cells, their membranes, and their biochemistry. The inherently parallel nature of membrane systems makes them obviously highly inefficient to execute on a sequential von Neumann computer architecture and in addition, programming a membrane system is often a painstakingly difficult undertaking. The main goal of this paper is to provide some key elements for bringing membrane systems from the abstract model closer to a genuine, novel, and unconventional in silico computer architecture. In particular, we will address the mechanisms of self-configuration and self-replication on a macroscopic level and will discuss some general issues related to genuine hardware realizations on the microscopic level.

Cells↗
PubMed2006

Gaze following: why (not) learn it?

We propose a computational model of the emergence of gaze following skills in infant-caregiver interactions. The model is based on the idea that infants learn that monitoring their caregiver's direction of gaze allows them to predict the locations of interesting objects or events in their environment (Moore & Corkum, 1994). Elaborating on this theory, we demonstrate that a specific Basic Set of structures and mechanisms is sufficient for gaze following to emerge. This Basic Set includes the infant's perceptual skills and preferences, habituation and reward-driven learning, and a structured social environment featuring a caregiver who tends to look at things the infant will find interesting. We review evidence that all elements of the Basic Set are established well before the relevant gaze following skills emerge. We evaluate the model in a series of simulations and show that it can account for typical development. We also demonstrate that plausible alterations of model parameters, motivated by findings on two different developmental disorders - autism and Williams syndrome - produce delays or deficits in the emergence of gaze following. The model makes a number of testable predictions. In addition, it opens a new perspective for theorizing about cross-species differences in gaze following.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Bio-inspired computing tissues: towards machines that evolve, grow, and learn.

Biological inspiration in the design of computing machines could allow the creation of new machines with promising characteristics such as fault-tolerance, self-replication or cloning, reproduction, evolution, adaptation and learning, and growth. The aim of this paper is to introduce bio-inspired computing tissues that might constitute a key concept for the implementation of 'living' machines. We first present a general overview of bio-inspired systems and the POE model that classifies bio-inspired machines along three axes. The Embryonics project--inspired by some of the basic processes of molecular biology--is described by means of the BioWatch application, a fault-tolerant and self-repairable watch. The main characteristics of the Embryonics project are the multicellular organization, the cellular differentiation, and the self-repair capabilities. The BioWall is intended as a reconfigurable computing tissue, capable of interacting with its environment by means of a large number of touch-sensitive elements coupled with a color display. For illustrative purposes, a large-scale implementation of the BioWatch on the BioWall's computational tissue is presented. We conclude the paper with a description of bio-inspired computing tissues and POEtic machines.

Cell Differentiation↗