Background on genetic algorithms, LISP, and genetic programming hierarchical problem-solving introduction to automatically-defined functions - the two-boxes problem problems that straddle the breakeven point for computational effort Boolean parity functions determining the architecture of the program the lawnmower problem the bumblebee problem the increasing benefits of ADFs as problems are scaled up finding an impulse response function artificial ant on the San Mateo trail obstacle-avoiding robot the minesweeper problem automatic discovery of detectors for letter recognition flushes and four-of-a-kinds in a pinochle deck introduction to biochemistry and molecular biology prediction of transmembrane domains in proteins prediction of omega loops in proteins lookahead version of the transmembrane problem evolutionary selection of the architecture of the program evolution of primitives and sufficiency evolutionary selection of terminals evolution of closure simultaneous evolution of architecture, primitive functions, terminals, sufficiency, and closure the role of representation and the lens effect Appendices: list of special symbols list of special functions list of type fonts default parameters computer implementation annotated bibliography of genetic programming electronic mailing list and public repository

Genetic Programming: On the Programming of Computers by Means of Natural Selection

An analogy with the way ant colonies function has suggested the definition of a new computational paradigm, which we call ant system (AS). We propose it as a viable new approach to stochastic combinatorial optimization. The main characteristics of this model are positive feedback, distributed computation, and the use of a constructive greedy heuristic. Positive feedback accounts for rapid discovery of good solutions, distributed computation avoids premature convergence, and the greedy heuristic helps find acceptable solutions in the early stages of the search process. We apply the proposed methodology to the classical traveling salesman problem (TSP), and report simulation results. We also discuss parameter selection and the early setups of the model, and compare it with tabu search and simulated annealing using TSP. To demonstrate the robustness of the approach, we show how the ant system (AS) can be applied to other optimization problems like the asymmetric traveling salesman, the quadratic assignment and the job-shop scheduling. Finally we discuss the salient characteristics-global data structure revision, distributed communication and probabilistic transitions of the AS.

/pdf/ant-system-optimization-by-a-colony-of-cooperating-agents-gw00wix2tf.pdf

Ant system: optimization by a colony of cooperating agents

This paper introduces the ant colony system (ACS), a distributed algorithm that is applied to the traveling salesman problem (TSP). In the ACS, a set of cooperating agents called ants cooperate to find good solutions to TSPs. Ants cooperate using an indirect form of communication mediated by a pheromone they deposit on the edges of the TSP graph while building solutions. We study the ACS by running experiments to understand its operation. The results show that the ACS outperforms other nature-inspired algorithms such as simulated annealing and evolutionary computation, and we conclude comparing ACS-3-opt, a version of the ACS augmented with a local search procedure, to some of the best performing algorithms for symmetric and asymmetric TSPs.

http://www-igm.univ-mlv.fr/~lombardy/ens/JavaTTT0708/fourmis.pdf

Ant colony system: a cooperative learning approach to the traveling salesman problem

Swarm intelligence is a relatively new approach to problem solving that takes inspiration from the social behaviors of insects and of other animals In particular, ants have inspired a number of methods and techniques among which the most studied and the most successful is the general purpose optimization technique known as ant colony optimization Ant colony optimization (ACO) takes inspiration from the foraging behavior of some ant species These ants deposit pheromone on the ground in order to mark some favorable path that should be followed by other members of the colony Ant colony optimization exploits a similar mechanism for solving optimization problems From the early nineties, when the first ant colony optimization algorithm was proposed, ACO attracted the attention of increasing numbers of researchers and many successful applications are now available Moreover, a substantial corpus of theoretical results is becoming available that provides useful guidelines to researchers and practitioners in further applications of ACO The goal of this article is to introduce ant colony optimization and to survey its most notable applications

/pdf/ant-colony-optimization-4lg01ityvg.pdf

Ant Colony Optimization

This survey characterizes an emerging research area, sometimes called coordination theory, that focuses on the interdisciplinary study of coordination. Research in this area uses and extends ideas about coordination from disciplines such as computer science, organization theory, operations research, economics, linguistics, and psychology.A key insight of the framework presented here is that coordination can be seen as the process of managing dependencies among activities. Further progress, therefore, should be possible by characterizing different kinds of dependencies and identifying the coordination processes that can be used to manage them. A variety of processes are analyzed from this perspective, and commonalities across disciplines are identified. Processes analyzed include those for managing shared resources, producer/consumer relationships, simultaneity constraints, and task/subtask dependencies.Section 3 summarizes ways of applying a coordination perspective in three different domains:(1) understanding the effects of information technology on human organizations and markets, (2) designing cooperative work tools, and (3) designing distributed and parallel computer systems. In the final section, elements of a research agenda in this new area are briefly outlined.

/pdf/the-interdisciplinary-study-of-coordination-22jsxamy1h.pdf

The interdisciplinary study of coordination

A distributed sorting algorithm, inspired by how ant colonies sort their brood is presented for use by robot teams The robots move randomly, do not communicate have no hierarchical organisation, have no global representation can only perceive objects just in front of them, but can distinguish between objects of two or more types with a certain degree of error The probability that they pick up or put down an object is modulated as a function of how many of the same objects they have met in the recent past This generates a positive feed-back that is sufficient to coordinate the robots' activity, resulting in their sorting the objects into common clusters While less efficient than a hierarchically controlled sorting, this decentralised organisation offers the advantages of simplicity, flexibility and robustness

The dynamics of collective sorting robot-like ants and ant-like robots

Workers of the Argentine ant, Iridomyrmex humilis,start to explore a chemically unmarked territory randomly. As the exploratory front advances, other explorers are recruited and a trail extends from it to the nest. Whereas recruitment trails are generally constructed between two points, these exploratory trails have no fixed destination, and strongly resemble the foraging patterns of army ants. A minimal model shows how the exploratory pattern may be generated by the individual workers' simple trail-laying and -following behavior, illustrating how complex collective structures in insect colonies may be based on self-organization.

http://www.intelligentappliances.org/files/2012presentations/The%20self-organizing%20exploratory%20pattern%20of%20the%20argentine%20ant.pdf

The self-organizing exploratory pattern of the argentine ant

Les fourmis I. humilis choisissent le chemin le plus court pour aller de la colonie au lieu d'approvisionnement

Self-organized Shortcuts in the Argentine Ant

Autocatalytic interactions between the members of an animal group or society, and particularly chemically or visually mediated allelomimesis, can be an important factor in the organisation of their collective activity. Furthermore, the interactions between the individuals and the environment allow different collective patterns and decisions to appear under different conditions, with the same individual behaviour. While most clearly demonstrable in social insects, these principles are fundamental to schools of fishes, flocks of birds, groups of mammals, and many other social aggregates. The analysis of collective behaviour in these terms implies detailed observation of both individual and collective behaviour, combined with mathematical modelling to link the two.

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Simon Goss

Papers

The dynamics of collective sorting robot-like ants and ant-like robots

The self-organizing exploratory pattern of the argentine ant

Self-organized Shortcuts in the Argentine Ant

Collective patterns and decision-making

Trails and U-turns in the Selection of a Path by the Ant Lasius niger