nagle@well.sf.ca.us (John Nagle) (03/12/91)
The insect in Beer's "Intelligence as Adaptive Behavior" actually
works as well as the book says it does. I'm running an implementation
from Pat and Greg Williams (Rt. 1, Box 302, Gravel Switch, KY 40328,
$10). I recommend this as a starting point for those interested in
AI at the insect level.
The program requires a PC-type machine with an EGA, and Turbo C/C++
if you want to modify it. You get source and the right to redistribute
and modify. I'm using this as a starting point for work of my own.
It's suprising how robust the insect nervous systems are. This
isn't a PDP-type system; these are engineered control systems, and
every neuron has a specific function. Yet you can disconnect most
neuron connections and the insect still gets around, even though
it may limp.
Beer is operating at a nice level of abstraction. His insects
are just complicated enough that problems like balance and stability
start to appear, but simple enough that a big solid geometric modelling
system isn't required to handle the simulation.
And they're really fun to watch. They move like real bugs. The
behavior when the insect hits an obstacle is very insect-like; it
doesn't look mechanical at all. It even looks more insect-like than
Rod Brooks' machines. Watching the six-legged creature struggle with
a corner gives one the feeling that it's a living creature.
This may be real progress.
John Naglenagle@well.sf.ca.us (John Nagle) (03/15/91)
For everyone who asked about Beer's book, here's the information. The book is "Intelligence as Adaptive Behavior", by Randall D. Beer, Academic Press, 1990, ISBN 0-12-084730-2. John Nagle