Structures that behave as single cells?

[TheMeanPenguin]

Is it possible to make a structure in Life that behaves as a single cell does?
I imagine you'd need an infinite grid of some repeating pattern, which would loop through 1 of 2 possible sequences, depending on it's neighbors, just as a single cell would.
Alternatively, the pattern could construct and destruct patterns patterns around itself when they should be turned om or off, but that seems much more difficult.

I imagine it must be possible, so my question is more "has it been done?"
If not, consider it a challenge.

[calcyman]

Yes, there have been three unique designs, as far as I know:

1. David Bell's 500*500 p5760 'unit life cell';
2. Brice Due's 2048*2048 p35328 'OTCA metapixel';
3. My 16384 sqrt(2)*16384 sqrt(2) p16777216 diagonal metacell.

Although they can be proven to exist, there are no explicit examples of metacells with an empty ground state.

[137ben]

Yes, there have been three unique designs, as far as I know:

1. David Bell's 500*500 p5760 'unit life cell';
2. Brice Due's 2048*2048 p35328 'OTCA metapixel';
3. My 16384 sqrt(2)*16384 sqrt(2) p16777216 diagonal metacell.

What about Jared James Prince's "Deep life" cell?

[calcyman]

What about Jared James Prince's "Deep life" cell?

Oh... well, the title does say 'structures that behave as single cells', not double cells.

[137ben]

True, but couldn't you just tile the plane with deep cells that have their b-state off? That would accomplish the task of emulating a single life cell.

[TheMeanPenguin]

Thanks. I searched around for something like that but couldn't find it. It's pretty crazy stuff.

[ssaamm]

Keep in mind, these are structures that simulate single spaces for cells, in that they simulate cells, but they do not construct new cells or die off.