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

By: Jan

Jan — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 01:17:54 +0000

Nice work! Another application of GAs is here http://blog.glowinteractive.com/index.php/2010/02/on-using-genetic-algorithm-to-train-neural-network-driven-creatues-to-walk-in-flash/

By: Joshua

Joshua — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 22:10:28 +0000

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

By: cauley

cauley — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 19:47:08 +0000

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?

By: Joshua

Joshua — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 01:27:03 +0000

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.

By: Joshua

Joshua — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 23:45:42 +0000

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

By: Joshua

Joshua — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 23:44:23 +0000

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.

By: finn

finn — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 22:41:13 +0000

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.

By: Carrie

Carrie — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 02:22:40 +0000

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

By: Ben

Ben — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 01:32:50 +0000

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…

By: Joshua A.C. Newman

Joshua A.C. Newman — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 21:24:09 +0000

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”.

By: Caleb

Caleb — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 20:42:56 +0000

It’s a bit like Jellycar on crack.

By: Joshua A.C. Newman

Joshua A.C. Newman — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 17:20:50 +0000

For some reason, the environment favors front-heaviness.

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

By: Joshua A.C. Newman

Joshua A.C. Newman — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 17:15:46 +0000

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

By: Joshua A.C. Newman

Joshua A.C. Newman — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 17:13:32 +0000

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.