Ants might be smarter than humans

[Random Variable]

If humans took their cues from ants, they might spend less time in traffic.

When opposing streams of leafcutter ants share a narrow path, they instinctively alternate flows in the most efficient way possible. Studying how ants manage this could provide the basis for a system of driverless cars running on ant traffic algorithms.

"They never get stuck in traffic," said Audrey Dussutour, a University of Sydney entomologist. "We should use their rules. I've been working with ants for eight years, and have never seen a traffic jam ? and I've tried."

People have long been fascinated with the ability of ants to organize colonial activities in patterns as sophisticated as any urban engineer's megalopolis blueprint. In recent years, scientists have turned ant traffic flows into algorithms applicable to data transmission and vehicular traffic.

http://blog.wired.com/wiredsci...009/02/anttraffic.html

 

[Newbian]

The moment they start frying us with a magnifying glass I might believe that.

 

[Reel]

I just read a paper on using ants to solve problems like that. Fairly interesting. The paper I found was really well written so it wasn't too difficult to understand. I recommend it if you are interested:
Dorigo M., V. Maniezzo & A. Colorni, 1996. ?Ant System: Optimization by a Colony of Cooperating Agents?, IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics?Part B, 26 (1): 29?41.

 

[Gothgar]

they are also FUCKING WALKING not driving a machine

 

[StevenYoo]

Originally posted by: Gothgar
they are also FUCKING WALKING not driving a machine

wow, once we figure out how to fuck-walk instead of driving, we'll be so set!

 

[Random Variable]

Originally posted by: Gothgar
they are also FUCKING WALKING not driving a machine

Why do they need a machine when they can carry something 50 times their own weight?

 

[MoPHo]

Originally posted by: Gothgar
they are also FUCKING WALKING not driving a machine

I agree with this statement. Yes ants can move in incredibly efficient ways. They are also not bound by things like guard rails, people walking on sidewalks, street lights, buildings, etc.

 

[ConstipatedVigilante]

Originally posted by: Gothgar
they are also FUCKING WALKING not driving a machine

Yeah...but they never crash. That's the point. People crash into each other all the time while they're walking.

 

[Bignate603]

Originally posted by: StevenYoo

Originally posted by: Gothgar
they are also FUCKING WALKING not driving a machine

wow, once we figure out how to fuck-walk instead of driving, we'll be so set!

It sounds like you would get there slower but have a good time doing it.

 

[Amused]

It never ceases to amaze me how some people just can't appreciate individualism and rather humans be like mindless worker bees/ants.

 

[Bulk Beef]

I, for one, welcome our new insect overlords.

 

[upsciLLion]

Originally posted by: Amused
It never ceases to amaze me how some people just can't appreciate individualism and rather humans be like mindless worker bees/ants.

You say that now but just wait until you go for your first fuck-walk.

 

[ConstipatedVigilante]

Originally posted by: upsciLLion

Originally posted by: Amused
It never ceases to amaze me how some people just can't appreciate individualism and rather humans be like mindless worker bees/ants.

You say that now but just wait until you go for your first fuck-walk.

:laugh:

 

[IronWing]

So when traffic gets bad on the road we should just drive down the shoulder, median, through people's yards, and kitchens? Ants also run into each other and over each other all the time. I guess when traffic backs up I can drive over the beetle in front of me.

 

[Jeff7]

Originally posted by: Amused
It never ceases to amaze me how some people just can't appreciate individualism and rather humans be like mindless worker bees/ants.

In some cases, your precious individualism is not necessarily the ideal way to solve a problem.

I might want to express my individuality by driving my car backwards, using only the terrified screams of an array of kittens tied to the roof for navigation. But this goddamn conformist society would probably say that I was driving dangerously, and would demand that I obey the laws and stop running over pedestrians.

The objective of getting from point A to point B in a car is not individual expression, it is to make the journey safely and efficiently. Thus individuality is irrelevant in this case.

Originally posted by: Random Variable

Originally posted by: Gothgar
they are also FUCKING WALKING not driving a machine

Why do they need a machine when they can carry something 50 times their own weight?

For the same reason we use machines: Because walking is too damn slow.

Originally posted by: ConstipatedVigilante

Originally posted by: Gothgar
they are also FUCKING WALKING not driving a machine

Yeah...but they never crash. That's the point. People crash into each other all the time while they're walking.

Watch ants in a crowd walking around. I'm sure they walk into each other constantly, but it's just not a problem. Walk, walk, bump, change direction slightly, keep walking.
For humans, with our squishy exteriors and pain receptors in the skin, walking into another person is rather unpleasant. For something with an exoskeleton, it's not an issue.



My biggest issue with some sort of AI or algorithm-based system is humanity's inherent instinct to be assholes. Someone could find some way of exploiting a flaw in the system to either redirect vehicles, or else cause crashes.
It would also need to have excellent fault-tolerance - oops, cat or tree in the road, are you paying enough attention to engage the manual brakes?
Too bad such idiocy can't be genetically engineered out of the species. Even if it could, our silly sense of nostalgia, or whatever it is, would probably cause outcry at the loss of some of the "essence" of what we are.

 

[Random Variable]

Originally posted by: ironwing
So when traffic gets bad on the road we should just drive down the shoulder, median, through people's yards, and kitchens? Ants also run into each other and over each other all the time. I guess when traffic backs up I can drive over the beetle in front of me.

You didn't read the article.

 

[IronWing]

Originally posted by: Random Variable

Originally posted by: ironwing
So when traffic gets bad on the road we should just drive down the shoulder, median, through people's yards, and kitchens? Ants also run into each other and over each other all the time. I guess when traffic backs up I can drive over the beetle in front of me.

You didn't read the article.

The authors haven't watched ants.

 

[JMapleton]

Ants are only smarter than the op.

 

[Amused]

Originally posted by: Jeff7

Originally posted by: Amused
It never ceases to amaze me how some people just can't appreciate individualism and rather humans be like mindless worker bees/ants.

In some cases, your precious individualism is not necessarily the ideal way to solve a problem.

I might want to express my individuality by driving my car backwards, using only the terrified screams of an array of kittens tied to the roof for navigation. But this goddamn conformist society would probably say that I was driving dangerously, and would demand that I obey the laws and stop running over pedestrians.

The objective of getting from point A to point B in a car is not individual expression, it is to make the journey safely and efficiently. Thus individuality is irrelevant in this case.

You missed the point entirely.

The thread title is: Ants might be smarter than humans.

Now, how is being a mindless drone smarter?

My "precious individualism" is one of the things that makes humans the dominant species.

 

[MotF Bane]

Originally posted by: Jeff7

Originally posted by: Amused
It never ceases to amaze me how some people just can't appreciate individualism and rather humans be like mindless worker bees/ants.

In some cases, your precious individualism is not necessarily the ideal way to solve a problem.

I might want to express my individuality by driving my car backwards, using only the terrified screams of an array of kittens tied to the roof for navigation. But this goddamn conformist society would probably say that I was driving dangerously, and would demand that I obey the laws and stop running over pedestrians.

The objective of getting from point A to point B in a car is not individual expression, it is to make the journey safely and efficiently. Thus individuality is irrelevant in this case.

Originally posted by: Random Variable

Originally posted by: Gothgar
they are also FUCKING WALKING not driving a machine

Why do they need a machine when they can carry something 50 times their own weight?

For the same reason we use machines: Because walking is too damn slow.

Originally posted by: ConstipatedVigilante

Originally posted by: Gothgar
they are also FUCKING WALKING not driving a machine

Yeah...but they never crash. That's the point. People crash into each other all the time while they're walking.

Watch ants in a crowd walking around. I'm sure they walk into each other constantly, but it's just not a problem. Walk, walk, bump, change direction slightly, keep walking.
For humans, with our squishy exteriors and pain receptors in the skin, walking into another person is rather unpleasant. For something with an exoskeleton, it's not an issue.



My biggest issue with some sort of AI or algorithm-based system is humanity's inherent instinct to be assholes. Someone could find some way of exploiting a flaw in the system to either redirect vehicles, or else cause crashes.
It would also need to have excellent fault-tolerance - oops, cat or tree in the road, are you paying enough attention to engage the manual brakes?
Too bad such idiocy can't be genetically engineered out of the species. Even if it could, our silly sense of nostalgia, or whatever it is, would probably cause outcry at the loss of some of the "essence" of what we are.

I'm going to buy you a bunch of kittens.

 

[mattpegher]

We have been toying with nanotech modeling algorithms based on insects for years. I think we are putting the cart before the horse since we don't have automated individual transportation yet. This will likely be a more difficult task then organizing its group dynamics.

 

[Random Variable]

Originally posted by: Amused

Originally posted by: Jeff7

Originally posted by: Amused
It never ceases to amaze me how some people just can't appreciate individualism and rather humans be like mindless worker bees/ants.

In some cases, your precious individualism is not necessarily the ideal way to solve a problem.

I might want to express my individuality by driving my car backwards, using only the terrified screams of an array of kittens tied to the roof for navigation. But this goddamn conformist society would probably say that I was driving dangerously, and would demand that I obey the laws and stop running over pedestrians.

The objective of getting from point A to point B in a car is not individual expression, it is to make the journey safely and efficiently. Thus individuality is irrelevant in this case.

You missed the point entirely.

The thread title is: Ants might be smarter than humans.

Now, how is being a mindless drone smarter?

My "precious individualism" is one of the things that makes humans the dominant species.

Why is efficiency automatically a sign of a total lack of individualism? Ants could very well be individualistic in other respects.

 

[Jeff7]

Originally posted by: Amused
You missed the point entirely.

The thread title is: Ants might be smarter than humans.

Now, how is being a mindless drone smarter?

My "precious individualism" is one of the things that makes humans the dominant species.

Granted, the title is silly.

Ants are more efficient in some respects. Traffic management is evidently one of them.

Individualism has helped us survive, but as you mentioned, it is only one of the things which aided us. Our ability to cooperate with others is also critical. A lone human is a pretty fragile thing. It'll try to defend itself with what resources it has, but killing it is ultimately quite simple. Pierce it with a tiny metal projectile. Poison it with trace quantities of an immense variety of chemical compounds or elements. But a group can be a very dangerous foe. Kill one, and the rest can learn from that.

And if you look at a group of humans from a sufficiently distant vantage point, we don't operate much differently than ants. Our living areas (cities) have dedicated waste areas, there are dedicated traffic patterns, we use electromagnetic waves in place of chemicals in order to transmit information, there are active periods of the day, when the roads surge with activity much like blood vessels carrying a pulse of blood from a heartbeat, and many regions of the city are specialized for one purpose.
In some cases, people will also do away with their petty egotism on the roads. If the cars ahead of you are slowing down, preparing to stop for a red light, you can stop your car in such a way that it does not block another intersection. Doing so prevents you from getting your mental ego points for moving your car forward the fastest, but it also allows for efficient traffic flow, as you are not blocking other cars from moving, potentially causing gridlock.

Speaking of which, I would be curious to see how ants would function in a grid-based route system. In addition, confine them to short tubes which would restrict crawling directly over one another. Cars of course cannot move over one another to alleviate congestion.

Originally posted by: mattpegher
We have been toying with nanotech modeling algorithms based on insects for years. I think we are putting the cart before the horse since we don't have automated individual transportation yet. This will likely be a more difficult task then organizing its group dynamics.

It can still be useful to have that cart. Maybe we'll find something other than a horse with which to pull the cart.

Originally posted by: MotF Bane
I'm going to buy you a bunch of kittens.

Awesome. I'm also working with FBB on a proprietary Snorgalarm® Vehicle Security Device. It fires stuffed bunnies at any intruders. A covering of Velcro patches ensures that they remain firmly stuck to any would-be thief until he can become thoroughly inured with their fuzziness. This placated state will allow him to be easily captured.

 

[Bateluer]

Originally posted by: Amused
and rather humans be like mindless worker bees/ants.

Oooh, ooh, they tried that in that one movie with Snipes and Stallone . . . Demolition Man. Didn't work out so well, as I recall.

 

[StinkyPinky]

Is a fuck-walk even possible with human anatomy?