Automaton is a basic mechanism for computation and it is important to design and develop information processing systems. To realize computers working in a nano-world, we study a nanoscale automaton based on a new methodology using photonics and DNA technologies as a processing core. Conformation of DNA is utilized to represent the state of automaton and the coformation is changed according to photonic signals. We have demonstrated the fundemental functionalities to realize nanoscale automata with two states and two symbols.[1-4]

1. Hiroto Sakai, Yusuke Ogura, and Jun Tanida, ``Positional State Representation and Its Transition Control for Photonic Dna Automaton,'' DNA15, Lecture Notes in Computer Science (LNCS), 5877, pp. 126-136 (2009).
2. HIroto Sakai, Yusuke Ogura, and Jun Tanida, "Implementation of a Nanoscale Automaton Using DNA Conformation Controlled by Optical Signals," Japanese Journal of Applied Physics, 48, 09LA01 (2009).
3. Hiroto Sakai, Yusuke Ogura, and Jun Tanida, "Photonic Switching of DNA's Position That Represents the Internal State in Photonic DNA Automaton," 4th International Workshop on Natural Computing IWNC 2009, pp. 244-253, September 2009.
4. Hiroto Sakai, Yusuke Ogura, and Jun Tanida, "Positional State Representation and Its Transition Control for Photonic DNA Automaton," 15 th International Meeting on DNA Computing and Molecular Programming, pp. 060-071, June 2009.