"The scientists have exploited the natural behavior of soldier crabs to design and build logic gates." (Image by Peter Ellis.)

Using the predictable swarming patterns of soldier crabs, Yukio–Pegio Gunji of Kobe University has designed a very unorthodox analog computer. From David Szondy at Gizmag:

“Thanks to Yukio–Pegio Gunji and his team at Japan’s Kobe University, the era of crab computing is upon us … well, sort of. The scientists have exploited the natural behavior of soldier crabs to design and build logic gates – the most basic components of an analogue computer. They may not be as compact as more conventional computers, but crab computers are certainly much more fun to watch

Electricity and microcircuits aren’t the only way to build a computer. In fact, electronic computers are a relatively recent invention. The first true computers of the 19th and early 20th centuries were built out of gears and cams and over the years many other computers have forsaken electronics for marbles, air, water, DNA molecules and even slime mold to crunch numbers. Compared to the slime mold, though, making a computer out of live crabs seems downright conservative.”

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Soldier crabs in the Philippines: