Today I read a paper titled “Swarm-Based Spatial Sorting”
The abstract is:
Purpose: To present an algorithm for spatially sorting objects into an annular structure.
Design/Methodology/Approach: A swarm-based model that requires only stochastic agent behaviour coupled with a pheromone-inspired “attraction-repulsion” mechanism.
Findings: The algorithm consistently generates high-quality annular structures, and is particularly powerful in situations where the initial configuration of objects is similar to those observed in nature.
Research limitations/implications: Experimental evidence supports previous theoretical arguments about the nature and mechanism of spatial sorting by insects.
Practical implications: The algorithm may find applications in distributed robotics.
Originality/value: The model offers a powerful minimal algorithmic framework, and also sheds further light on the nature of attraction-repulsion algorithms and underlying natural processes.