ants_simulation

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Requires my_js_lib https://github.com/andreasjansson/my_js_lib

A naive Javascript ant colony simulation. Nothing half as complex as actual Ant Colony Optimisation (http://irancic.buksna.net/metah/0262042193.pdf), but it's pretty to look at.

The ants form a subsumption architecture by having a number of reactive rules govern their behaviour. The rules are ordered by precedence, and once a rule has applied, no other rules can apply (a bit like [L] in Apache configurations). These are the rules (ordered by precedence, descending):

1. If you carry food and you are at the ant hill: Drop the food and get a new, random, direction of movement.

2. If you carry food and you are next to the ant hill: Drop pheromone and set direction on the ant hill.

3. If you carry food and you are standing on pheromone: Drop pheromone and set direction on the pheromone in front of you (if any).

4. If you carry food: Set direction on the ant hill and drop pheromone.

5. If you have found food: Pick up the food, drop pheromone, and set direction on the ant hill.

6. If you are standing on pheromone: Set direction on the pheromone in front of you (if any).

7. Sense distant pheromone, and if you sense any, set direction on it.

Ants don't always follow the rules regarding their movement, sometimes they just walk randomly.

Configuration parameters can be found in the Config.js file.

Note: In the stylesheet you need to make all child divs of the View node absolutely positioned. Otherwise nothing will work.

This simulation can (soon, if not already) be viewed at http://subsumption.jansson.me.uk