SP-CellBots – A Simulator for Programmable Matter

Sven Pohl B.Sc. [email protected] — MIT License © 2025
This project is licensed under the MIT License.

SP-CellBots is an open simulation and control system for programmable matter.
It is based on a fictional hardware model: the SP-CellBot, a modular unit capable of moving across identical elements, stacking, and forming fixed connections in order to morph into arbitrary structures.

⚠️ Note: The term "CellBots" is used here in a descriptive, non-commercial context and is not affiliated with any external research groups or trademarks.

„Morph. Code. Forge.“

AI-generated CellBot concept Image generated with OpenAI (ChatGPT/DALL·E)

WebGUI BotController (Screenshot)

Animated Blender export (Rendering)

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📚 Contents

• Description
• Installation & Quickstart
• CellBot Protocol and OP-Codes
• CellBot Hardware Blueprint (Virtual)
• Usage & Examples
• Morphing
• Blender Replay and Animation
• Tools (Scripts)
• Vision & Future Applications
• Research Notes

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🧩 Version

Current version: 1.4
Developed and tested on Node.js v23.11.0.
Due to rapid ecosystem changes, newer or older versions may cause incompatibilities.

Latest changes:

• 1.4 (11.12.2025)
  Stability & Compatibility Update for Node.js v23.11.0
  • Updated entire codebase for compatibility with Node.js v23.11.0
  • Fixed RSA signing (stable PKCS8 flow) and added PEM compression / restore helpers
  • Centralized signature logic in /common/signature/
  • Resolved ED25519 Base64 encoding/decoding inconsistencies
  • Added system_utils.js with automatic Node.js version validation
  • Introduced MasterBot auto-connect / reconnect mechanism
  • Cleanly decoupled WebGUI websocket (ws_gui) from ClusterSim TCP client
  • Reworked shutdown handling — no more double termination of processes
  • Internal refactoring for long-term extensibility
    (multiple MasterBots, persistent hardware targets, async pipeline)

👉 Full changelog is available at:
➡️ docs/changelog.md

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🚧 Planned Features

• Decentralized AntMorph algorithm (planned):
  A lightweight, swarm-based morphing system is in development, inspired by ant behavior.
  Bots will attempt to fill free target positions without global coordination, based on local visibility and optional heuristics (e.g., cluster center proximity).
  Goal: support fast and distributed formation of arbitrary patterns in constrained environments.

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🤝 Contributing

Pull requests are welcome!

💛 Support / Donate

If you enjoy this project and want to support ongoing development, feel free to send a Bitcoin donation to:

BTC address:
'bc1qr49kr0cn92wmtne4tasdqe9qzfhj0jqvpxjhha'

"If you’d like to say thanks: Even a few sats are appreciated!"

🙏 Thank you!

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📬 Feedback welcome
If you're experimenting with CellBots or building something on top of it, I'd love to hear from you.
Even a short message helps with motivation and future planning.

Feel free to drop a quick note to:
'[email protected]'