Algorithmic Foundations of Programmable Matter (Dagstuhl Seminar 16271)

Abstract

his report documents the program and the outcomes of Dagstuhl Seminar 16271 "Algorithmic Foundations of Programmable Matter", a new and emerging field that combines theoretical work on algorithms with a wide spectrum of practical applications that reach all the way from small-scale embedded systems to cyber-physical structures at nano-scale.

The aim of the Dagstuhl seminar was to bring together researchers from the algorithms community with selected experts from robotics and distributed systems in order to set a solid base for the development of models, technical solutions, and algorithms that can control programmable matter. Both communities benefited from such a meeting for the following reasons:
- Meeting experts from other fields provided additional insights, challenges and focus when considering work on programmable matter.
- Interacting with colleagues in a close and social manner gave many starting points for continuing collaboration.
- Getting together in a strong, large and enthusiastic group provided the opportunity to plan a number of followup activities.
In the following, we provide details and activities of this successful week.