Project: AtomSwarm
A platform for sonic improvisation using swarm-like structures.
Developed over a one year research project at Middlesex University's
Lansdown Centre for Electronic Arts,
AtomSwarm is a platform for sonic improvisation based on the swarming
behaviours seen in large groups of insects or birds.
Within these collectives, each individual operates under a set of very
simple rules, but the swarm as a whole appears to exhibit
astoundingly complex and adaptive behaviours, capable of responding
rapidly to new environments.
In addition to the physical rules governing their movements and interactions within the Euclidean swarm space (extended from Craig Reynolds' Boid algorithm), each agent's behaviour is determined by a static genome and a set of virtual hormones.
In live performance, the swarm's behaviour is manipulated by a human conductor, who can affect its population size and interactions but can never exercise complete control; his instructions are always subject to the same constraints as the other physical laws of the swarm environment.
Resources
- Watch video (Vimeo) of AtomSwarm (also available on youtube)
(or download mp4 video or mp3 audio) - Download more media and source code
- Following my growing index of swarm-centric bookmarks, used as a personal reference resource.
- Read a paper documenting the piece: AtomSwarm: A Framework for Swarm Improvisation (Proceedings of EvoWorkshops 2008)