We explore various definitions and characteristics of emergence, how we might recognise and measure emergence, and how we might engineer emergent systems. We discuss the TUNA (“Theory Underpinning Nanotech Assemblers”) project, which is investigating emergent engineering in the context of molecular nanotechnology, and use the TUNA case study to explore an architecture suitable for emergent complex systems.
Susan Stepney, Fiona Polack, Heather R. Turner