Humble ant can overcome complex logistical problems
By IANSMonday, December 13, 2010
SYDNEY - Humans can take a lesson or two from the humble ant which is really good at overcoming complex logistical problems — something only a few computer algorithms can do.
The finding can help scientists develop even better software to maximise efficiency in many human industries and traffic management, reports the Journal of Experimental Biology.
Chris Reid, doctoral student, and Madeleine Beekman, associate professor, both from the University of Sydney, and David Sumpter of Uppsala University, Sweden, tested whether Argentine ants could solve a complex problem.
They tested them using the three-rod, three-disk version of the Towers of Hanoi problem, a toy puzzle that requires players to move disks between rods while obeying certain rules and using the fewest possible moves, according to a Sydney statement.
Since ants cannot move disks, the researchers converted the puzzle into a maze where the shortest path corresponds to the solution with fewest moves in the toy puzzle.
The ants at the entry point of the maze could choose between 32,768 possible paths to get to the food source on the other side, with only two of the paths being the shortest path and thus the optimal solution.
After an hour, the ants solved the Towers of Hanoi by finding the shortest path around the edge of the maze.
“Finding the most efficient path through a busy network is a common challenge faced by delivery drivers, telephone routers and engineers,” says Reid, who led the study.
