MIT’s Center for Bits and Atoms, under Neil Gershenfeld, develops morphogenesis-inspired software‐to‐hardware interfaces that program self‐reproducing assemblers. By treating developmental programs (morphogenes) as abstract design instructions and digitizing materials into 20 elemental blocks, they merge computation with geometry to democratize advanced manufacturing worldwide.

Key points

• Morphogenes adopt biological developmental codes to represent design functions abstractly.
• Assemblers use 20 digitized material types to hierarchically build and replicate hardware.
• Interior‐point relaxation algorithms harness analog degrees of freedom for discrete assembly tasks.
• Overlaying computation and geometry ensures synchronization without traditional thread management.
• Digital fabrication scales in a Moore’s Law–like curve, enabling mass deployment of personal fab labs.

Why it matters: Merging computation, communication, and fabrication into self‐replicating assemblers could redefine manufacturing by granting individuals unprecedented design and production autonomy. This paradigm shift parallels Moore’s Law in physical fabrication, promising supply‐chain simplification, rapid prototyping, and new scalable AI‐driven material systems.