Assembling living materials and engineering life-like technologies

Von Neumann, the inventor of the modern computer, realized that if life is a physical process, it should be possible to implement life in other media than biochemistry. In the 1950s, he was one of the first to propose the possibility of implementing genuine living processes in computers and robots. This perspective, while still controversial, is rapidly gaining momentum in many science and engineering communities. Below, we summarize our recent activities to create artificial life from scratch in physicochemical systems. We also outline the nature of the grand science and engineering challenges faced as we seek to realize Von Neumann's vision: Integration of information processing and material production from the nano- to the macroscale in technical systems.