A-Life Challenge (2024-25)
This project will attempt to create a novel evolutionary artificial life environment.
Objectives
Energy should be the basis of everything. Energy cost determines how many offspring, movement, complexity, intelligence, etc. More complex creatures should use more energy to spawn offspring. This is why the cockroach (or bacteria) will inherit the Earth ?
A “bottom-up” approach is preferred. This means that we would like to see things like population dynamics, complexity, speciation (how to tell?), plants, animals, predators, prey, viruses, parasites, and more. These should emerge from simple rules and simple building blocks. The creatures are assembled by their genome, the genomes evolve from mutations, and, over time, amazing things happen!
Evolutionary artificial life with the following:
- Do your research! This is a large field with a lot of history... LOTS of great videos on YouTube..
- A visual representation that is fun to watch.
- A “genome” for each species that can evolve from mutations (different kinds?).
- Ability to start, stop, save, and load simulations.
- Starting parameters can be set. Mutation rate, ?
- Ability to skip “frames” which speeds up the simulation (don't show every iteration, and disconnect the display from the actual simulation).
- Stats available that show things like timestep, # generations, the different evolved “species” (how to tell?), relative populations of species over time, lineages, and other important factors. How did this cool worm thing evolve? Why are these boring plant things dominating the whole ecosystem? How many species do I have here?
- Platform - Any that will produce the above.
Should have at least one or two relatively novel features - but remember these should emerge from simple rules somehow:
- Genome can be tweaked manually to create your own species
- Harsh environments or events/disease that wipe out species on demand (except those that can adapt)?
- Senses: Vision? Touch? Smell?
- If an organism can “see” food, how would the correct behavior emerge to enable it to eat?
- Something like ants and pheromone trails.. Is “hive behavior” possible?
- Symbiosis or mutualism? Two species team up to “take down” a third? A colony organism like jellyfish?
- Weapons and Defenses: Poison blocks? Sticky blocks? Camouflage?
- What if your organisms could take advantage of “advanced" physics? Teleportation? Multiple dimensions?
- Other: You decide!
Choose whichever features you like, but make this informative and fun to watch!
Motivations
From Conway's original Life to the “Cambrian explosion” of A-Life programs today, we are learning more and more what life really is. Your mission will be to add something to the story.
Qualifications
Minimum Qualifications:
None Listed Preferred Qualifications:
None Listed
Details
Project Partner:
Samarendra Hedaoo
NDA/IPA:No Agreement Required
Number Groups:1
Project Status:Accepting Applicants