Download - Natural Computation and Its Applications
Natural Computation and Its Applications
Xin Yao
Natural Computation Group
Email: [email protected]
http://www.cs.bham.ac.uk/~xin
Frustration with Computers
Brittle Non-adaptive Doesn’t learn Hopeless in dealing with noisy and inaccurate
information Doesn’t do the homework for me although I
told it that I want a mark over 70% …
Natural Computation
Evolutionary computation Neural computation Molecular computation Quantum computation Ecological computation Biological computation …
Evolutionary Algorithm: An Example
Initialise the population Repeat until the halting criteria are met
– Fitness evaluation– Parent selection (natural selection)– Breeding/reproduction by crossover and mutation to
generate the new generation
Channel Allocation Inspired by Fruit Flies
Fruitflies have an insensitive exoskeleton peppered with sensors formed from short bristles attached to nerve cells. It is important that the bristles are more or less evenly spread out across the surface of the fly. In particular it is undesirable to have two bristles right next to each other. The correct pattern is formed during the fly's development by interactions among its cells. The individual cells "argue" with each other by secreting protein signals, and perceiving the signals of their neighbours. The cells are autonomous, each running its own "algorithm" using information from its local environment. Each cell sends a signal to its neighbours; at the same time it listens for such a signal from its neighbours. The signal is saying, in effect, "I want to make a bristle". The more "loudly" it "hears" its neighbours signalling, the less of the signal it produces. In other words the signal is inhibitory. This "arguing" process is the inspiration for the channel allocation method presented here.
Container Packing
How to pack a standard size container with various sized boxes to minimise wasted space?
How cut a standard length stock according to different requirements while minimising wastage?
…
Applications of Evolutionary Computation
Genetic Algorithms in Parametric Design of Aircraft Air-Injected Hydrocyclone Optimization Via Genetic
Algorithm A Genetic Algorithm Approach to Multiple Fault Diagnosis A Genetic Algorithm for Conformational Analysis of DNA Automated Parameter Tuning for Sonar Information
Processing http://www.nutechsolutions.com/case_studies/
Neural Computation
Parallel and distributed Learnable Fault-tolerant Noise-tolerant Efficient computation from slow components! Good at perception tasks …
Artificial Life
Life as it could be vs. life as it is Great at exploring the huge space of artefacts Boids Karl Sims’s artificial creatures …
Evolutionary Art
Evolutionary art from Andrew Rowbottom Genetic art by Peter Kleiweg Organic art by William Latham By our own student! …
Where to Find More information
MSc in Natural Computation The Natural Computation Group CERCIA (The Centre of Excellence for
Research in Computational Intelligence and Applications)
AI/NC Seminars
MSc in Natural Computation
EPSRC studentships available, covering tuition fees and maintenance costs, great as a stepping stone for a PhD
Lots of industrial partners, good for a company career
Small class size with lots of interactions with lecturers
Programme Structure
TERM 1
1. Neural Computation
2. Evolutionary Computation
3. Quantum and Molecular Computation
4. Mini-project 1
TERM2
1. Nature-inspired Optimisation
2. Nature-inspired Learning
3. Nature-inspired Design
4. Mini-project 2
TERM3
Main project (some in collaboration with an industrial partner)
Natural Computation Group
One of the strongest in the world 7 core academic members and more than 20
PhD students 4 other teaching staff with strong overlaps
CERCIA
Four research fellows (additional to NC group staff) and three admin staff
Specialise in applied research and industrial projects
Current work includes energy consumption prediction, evolutionary art, business match, etc.