This link combines genetic algorithms, flash programming and mountain bicycle design

December 9th, 2008

I could watch this all day:

I don’t have any more info on it, though the original Flash file is hosted on http://www.wreck.devisland.net/ga/, which provides us little in the way of clues.



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  • http://glyphpress.com/talk Joshua A.C. Newman

    FINALLY it evolved a dune buggy instead of a face-faller-onner. For some reason, the environment favors front-heaviness.

    Also, I’ve noticed that high levels of success early on get eliminated by breeding with less fortunately individuals. It seems like you’d want to keep the most successful individual with mutation only when the population is this small.

    Also, that cliff/bowl near the end is a doozy.

    Wow. In the time it took me to write this post, it made a dune buggy. I watched for 15 minutes yesterday as it fell on its face over and over. Evolution’s an amazing process.

  • http://glyphpress.com/talk Joshua A.C. Newman

    Jonny, weren’t we discussing an increasingly complex terrain as a fitness test for the Breve Walker, to get the critters off their bellies?

  • http://glyphpress.com/talk Joshua A.C. Newman

    For some reason, the environment favors front-heaviness.

    Ah, it’s because the first test it has to survive is its own acceleration.

  • Caleb

    It’s a bit like Jellycar on crack.

  • http://glyphpress.com/talk Joshua A.C. Newman

    Wow. I’m watching this now.
    We’re on generation 5 or 6 and it still hasn’t worked out “wheels go on the bottom”.

  • Ben

    Awesome. I just realized that my mouse’s scroll wheel will zoom in and out on the animation. I wonder if it offers any other sort of interaction…

  • Carrie

    Reminds me of Sodaplay. Sigh… so many internet phenomena that have gotten old, so little time for posting a new Internet Revue!

  • finn

    I dunno… seems buggy. Sometimes it seems to restart for no apparent reason. Wish there was a replay feature to watch some of those “fails” in slow-mo. Only a very few bikes seem to be able to get past a sudden 45-degree downslope.

  • http://joshua.swingpad.com/ Joshua

    Reload it. Sometimes it get stuck. That’s not the fault of the program, though. It’s just in the nature of GAs. Sometimes, an entire population is effectively stillborn.

    The random restarts seem to be two things:
    • A red circle is close to the ground and the moment of impact looks just like every other impact. Remember that the circles have to make ground clearance, too, when the buggy goes over a sharp spike in the ground.
    • It’s gotten all the way to the end. I didn’t realize there was a finish line for a long tim and kept watching.
    • Sometimes, I don’t know what caused it to restart.

  • http://joshua.swingpad.com/ Joshua

    Yeah. That was a totally bogus restart. I wish there were docs!

  • http://joshua.swingpad.com/ Joshua

    I without a doubt just saw it reset a buggy that was clearly safe. I don’t know what that’s about! However, the neat thing is that the shape is such that it flips itself upside down at the finish line, getting farther than it’s possible to if it stays on both wheels.

  • cauley

    Gah! I hate how it’s resetting without cause!

    I want to see it finish!

    ALSO:

    Joshua, I’m surprised you’re so into this. Doesn’t seem up your alley at all.

    Oh, wait. I meant: Joshua, did you create this in your sleep?

  • http://joshua.swingpad.com/ Joshua

    The finish line is just after the cliff. There’s a little bump.

  • http://blog.glowinteractive.com Jan