From Pattern Formation to Material Computation: Multi-agent Modelling of Physarum Polycephalum (Emergence, Complexity and Computation)

This book addresses topics of mobile multi-agent systems, pattern formation, biological modelling, artificial life, unconventional computation, and robotics. The behaviour of a simple organism which is capable of remarkable biological and computational feats that seem to transcend its simple component parts is examined and modelled. In this book the following question is asked: How can something as simple as Physarum polycephalum - a giant amoeboid single-celled organism which does not possess any neural tissue, fixed skeleton or organised musculature - can approximate complex computational behaviour during its foraging, growth and adaptation of its amorphous body plan, and with such limited resources? To answer this question the same apparent limitations as faced by the organism are applied: using only simple components with local interactions. A synthesis approach is adopted and a mobile multi-agent system with very simple individual behaviours is employed. It is shown their interactions yield emergent behaviour showing complex self-organised pattern formation with material-like evolution. The presented model reproduces the biological behaviour of Physarum; the formation, growth and minimisation of transport networks.

In its conclusion the book moves beyond Physarum and provides results of scoping experiments approximating other complex systems using the multi-agent approach. The results of this book demonstrate the power and range of harnessing emergent phenomena arising in simple multi-agent systems for biological modelling, computation and soft-robotics applications. It methodically describes the necessary components and their interactions, showing how deceptively simple components can create powerful mechanisms, aided by abundant illustrations, supplementary recordings and interactive models. It will be of interest to those in biological sciences, physics, computer science and robotics who wish to understand how simple components can result in complex and useful behaviours and who wish explore the potential of guided pattern formation themselves.

本書探討了移動多智能體系統、模式形成、生物建模、人工生命、非傳統計算和機器人等主題。本書研究了一種簡單的生物體，它能夠展現出超越其簡單組成部分的卓越生物和計算能力。本書提出了以下問題：為什麼像Physarum polycephalum這樣簡單的生物體 - 一種巨大的單細胞變形蟲，沒有神經組織、固定骨骼或有組織的肌肉組織 - 在覓食、生長和適應其無定形體型時，能夠近似複雜的計算行為，並且資源有限？為了回答這個問題，我們採用了與生物體面臨的相同的限制：只使用具有局部交互作用的簡單組件。我們採用了綜合方法，使用具有非常簡單個體行為的移動多智能體系統。結果顯示，它們的交互作用產生了顯示出複雜自組織模式形成和類似物質演化的新興行為。所提出的模型重現了Physarum的生物行為，包括形成、生長和最小化運輸網絡。

在結論中，本書超越了Physarum，並提供了使用多智能體方法近似其他複雜系統的範圍實驗結果。本書的結果展示了利用簡單多智能體系統中出現的新興現象進行生物建模、計算和軟體機器人應用的能力和範圍。它系統地描述了必要的組件及其交互作用，展示了如何通過看似簡單的組件創造強大的機制，並輔以豐富的插圖、補充錄音和互動模型。本書將對生物科學、物理學、計算機科學和機器人學等領域的人士感興趣，他們希望了解簡單組件如何產生複雜而有用的行為，並希望自己探索引導模式形成的潛力。