  We realize autonomous Boolean networks by using logic gates in their
autonomous mode-of-operation on a field-programmable gate array. This allows us
to implement time-continuous systems with complex dynamical behaviors that can
be conveniently interconnected into large-scale networks with flexible
topologies that consist of time-delay links and a large number of nodes. We
demonstrate how we realize networks with periodic, chaotic, and excitable
dynamics and study their properties. Field-programmable gate arrays define a
new experimental paradigm that holds great potential to test a large body of
theoretical results on the dynamics of complex networks, which has been beyond
reach of traditional experimental approaches.
