Slime mould logical gates: exploring ballistic approach

Plasmodium of Physarum polycephalum is a single cell visible by unaided eye. On a non-nutrient substrate the plasmodium propagates as a traveling localization, as a compact wave-fragment of protoplasm. The plasmodium-localization travels in its originally predetermined direction for a substantial period of time even when no gradient of chemo-attractants is present. We utilize this property of Physarum localizations to design a two-input two-output Boolean logic gates 〈x, y〉 → 〈xy, x+y〉 and 〈x, y〉 → 〈x, xy〉. We verify the designs in laboratory experiments and computer simulations. We cascade the logical gates into one-bit half-adder and simulate its functionality.