Such behaviour could potentially be used to get transport network models to adapt to regularly occurring events, such as rush hours, or as a planning tool for project management. When the researchers then stopped applying poor growth conditions, however, half of the slime moulds tested still slowed their growth rate 30 minutes later, in expectation of the stimulus.

Not the best conditions to grow slime in so as expected, growth rates slowed. Back in 2008, researchers at Hokkaido University repeatedly subjected successfully growing slime moulds to low temperatures and dry air every 30 minutes. Most intriguing of all is the potential for the mould to 'expect' changes in its environment. This developing form of biomimicry demonstrates some of the possibilities of using unconventional computing in urban planning, and as slime mould techniques are increasingly employed so does our understanding of what this complex organism can teach us. This could be used in the future to indicate terrain features missing from current models. But current research suggests the slime mould leaves chemical markers on unsuccessful routes as a reminder. It will only map the most efficient route to all points. Up to now, research has not included types of terrain such as rivers or mountains, nor any understanding of social and political factors. Salt is toxic to the plasmodium and the organism will retract from it, strengthening other lines and opening new routes across the network, which can thus provide information for traffic planning contingencies. The established network is still a living 'supercell' (effectively a single cell with multiple nuclei), and as a result, can also become a dynamic modelling tool.įor example, problems in the system such as a road crash or flooding can be simulated by simply adding salt at the relevant point on the map. Slime mould grows at 1cm an hour in optimum conditions, and will successfully map most problems in a few days.

Mapping by slime mould has a number of benefits, not least its relative ease and speed. According to the slime mould the motorway should be rerouted along the east coast through Newcastle.

Cities in motion 2 maps