vbid/9783642228049

Description

Standard approaches to understanding swarms rely�on inspiration from biology and are generally covered�by the term �biomimetics�. This book focuses on a�different, complementary inspiration, namely physics.�The editors have introduced the term ‘physicomimetics’�to refer to physics-based swarm approaches, which offer�two advantages. First, they capture the notion that��nature is lazy’, meaning that physics-based systems always�perform the minimal amount of work necessary, which is an especially important advantage in swarm robotics.�Second, physics is the most predictive science, and can reduce complex systems to simple concepts and equations�that codify emergent behavior and help us to design and understand swarms.� The editors consolidated over a decade of work on swarm intelligence and swarm robotics, organizing the book into�19 chapters as follows. Part I introduces the concept of�swarms and offers the reader a physics tutorial; Part II�deals with applications of physicomimetics, in order of�increased complexity; Part III examines the hardware�requirements of the presented algorithms and demonstrates real robot implementations; Part IV demonstrates how the�theory can be used to design swarms from first principles�and provides a novel algorithm that handles changing�environments; finally, Part V shows that physicomimetics�can be used for function optimization, moving the reader�from issues of swarm robotics to swarm intelligence. The�text is supported with a downloadable package containing�simulation code and videos of working robots.� This book is suitable for talented high school and undergraduate students, as well as researchers and�graduate students in the areas of artificial intelligence�and robotics.Typham this is the title: Physicomimetics Physics-Based Swarm Intelligence