--- abstract: |- JohnnyVon is an implementation of self-replicating machines in continuous two-dimensional space. Two types of particles drift about in a virtual liquid. The particles are automata with discrete internal states but continuous external relationships. Their internal states are governed by finite state machines but their external relationships are governed by a simulated physics that includes Brownian motion, viscosity, and spring-like attractive and repulsive forces. The particles can be assembled into patterns that can encode arbitrary strings of bits. We demonstrate that, if an arbitrary "seed" pattern is put in a "soup" of separate individual particles, the pattern will replicate by assembling the individual particles into copies of itself. We also show that, given sufficient time, a soup of separate individual particles will eventually spontaneously form self-replicating patterns. We discuss the implications of JohnnyVon for research in nanotechnology, theoretical biology, and artificial life. altloc: [] chapter: ~ commentary: ~ commref: ~ confdates: ~ conference: ~ confloc: ~ contact_email: ~ creators_id: - '' - 2175 - '' creators_name: - family: Smith given: Arnold honourific: '' lineage: '' - family: Turney given: Peter honourific: '' lineage: '' - family: Ewaschuk given: Robert honourific: '' lineage: '' date: 2003 date_type: published datestamp: 2003-04-16 department: ~ dir: disk0/00/00/28/88 edit_lock_since: ~ edit_lock_until: ~ edit_lock_user: ~ editors_id: [] editors_name: [] eprint_status: archive eprintid: 2888 fileinfo: /style/images/fileicons/application_pdf.png;/2888/1/NRC%2D44969.pdf full_text_status: public importid: ~ institution: ~ isbn: ~ ispublished: pub issn: ~ item_issues_comment: [] item_issues_count: 0 item_issues_description: [] item_issues_id: [] item_issues_reported_by: [] item_issues_resolved_by: [] item_issues_status: [] item_issues_timestamp: [] item_issues_type: [] keywords: ~ lastmod: 2011-03-11 08:55:15 latitude: ~ longitude: ~ metadata_visibility: show note: ~ number: 1 pagerange: 21-40 pubdom: FALSE publication: Artificial Life publisher: MIT Press refereed: TRUE referencetext: |+2 [1] Cairns-Smith, A.G. 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