Feedback Control of Evolving Swarms

We examine the effects of proportional-integral control on the fitness and genetics of an evolving swarm. Introducing controllers with a set point designed to distribute birds equally across the food in a given simulation increases the rate at which the birds accumulate energy, but also increases the rate at which they expire. We find that the amount of food the birds gather is not dependent on the force of the feedback controllers but on the quality of information they transmit. The trends we observe can help to understand and improve the results of a wide variety of systems exhibiting swarm dynamics.

In Proceedings of the Fourteenth International Conference on the Synthesis and Simulation of Living Systems (ALIFE 14)