Biologically inspired herding of animal groups by robots

A single sheepdog can bring together and manoeuvre hundreds of sheep from one location to another. Engineers and ecologists are fascinated by this sheepdog herding because of the potential it provides for ‘bio-herding’: a biologically inspired herding of animal groups by robots. Although many herding algorithms have been proposed, most are studied via simulation.There are a variety of ecological problems where management of wild animal groups is currently impossible, dangerous and/or costly for humans to manage directly, and which may benefit from bio-herding solutions.Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) now deliver significant benefits to the economy and society. Here, we suggest the use of UAVs for bio-herding. Given their mobility and speed, UAVs can be used in a wide range of environments and interact with animal groups at sea, over the land and in the air.We present a potential roadmap for achieving bio-herding using a pair of UAVs. In our framework, one UAV performs ‘surveillance’ of animal groups, informing the movement of a second UAV that herds them. We highlight the promise and flexibility of a paired UAV approach while emphasising its practical and ethical challenges. We start by describing the types of experiments and data required to understand individual and collective responses to UAVs. Next, we describe how to develop appropriate herding algorithms. Finally, we describe the integration of bio-herding algorithms into software and hardware architecture

Comprehensive Taxonomies of Nature- and Bio-inspired Optimization: Inspiration Versus Algorithmic Behavior, Critical Analysis Recommendations

In recent algorithmic family simulates different biological processes observed in Nature in order to efficiently address complex optimization problems. In the last years the number of bio-inspired optimization approaches in literature has grown considerably, reaching unprecedented levels that dark the future prospects of this field of research. This paper addresses this problem by proposing two comprehensive, principle-based taxonomies that allow researchers to organize existing and future algorithmic developments into well-defined categories, considering two different criteria: the source of inspiration and the behavior of each algorithm. Using these taxonomies we review more than three hundred publications dealing with nature- inspired and bio-inspired algorithms, and proposals falling within each of these categories are examined, leading to a critical summary of design trends and similarities between them, and the identification of the most similar classical algorithm for each reviewed paper. From our analysis we conclude that a poor relationship is often found between the natural inspiration of an algorithm and its behavior. Furthermore, similarities in terms of behavior between different algorithms are greater than what is claimed in their public disclosure: specifically, we show that more than one-third of the reviewed bio-inspired solvers are versions of classical algorithms. Grounded on the conclusions of our critical analysis, we give several recommendations and points of improvement for better methodological practices in this active and growing research field

Selfish Herd Optimisation based fractional order cascaded controllers for AGC study

In a modern, and complex power system (PS), robust controller is obligatory to regulate the frequency under uncertain load/parameter change of the system. In addition to this, presence of nonlinearities, load frequency control (LFC) of a Power System becomes more challenging which necessitates a suitable, and robust controller. Single stage controller does not perform immensely against aforesaid changed conditions. So, a novel non-integer/fractional order (FO) based two-stage controller incorporated with 2-degrees of freedom (2-DOF), derivative filter (N), named as 2-DOF-FOPIDN-FOPDN controller, is adopted to improve the dynamic performance of a 3-area power system. Each area of the power system consists of both non-renewable and renewable generating units. Again, to support the superior performance of 2-DOF-FOPIDN-FOPDN controller, it is compared with the result produced by PID, FOPID, and 2-DOF-PIDN-PDN controllers. The optimal design of these controllers is done by applying Selfish Herd Optimisation (SHO) technique. Further, the robustness of the 2-DOF-FOPIDN-FOPDN controller is authenticated by evaluating the system performance under parameter variation. The work is further extended to prove the supremacy of SHO algorithm over a recently published article based on pathfinder algorithm (PFA)

Networking the Boids is More Robust Against Adversarial Learning

Swarm behavior using Boids-like models has been studied primarily using close-proximity spatial sensory information (e.g. vision range). In this study, we propose a novel approach in which the classic definition of boids\textquoteright \ neighborhood that relies on sensory perception and Euclidian space locality is replaced with graph-theoretic network-based proximity mimicking communication and social networks. We demonstrate that networking the boids leads to faster swarming and higher quality of the formation. We further investigate the effect of adversarial learning, whereby an observer attempts to reverse engineer the dynamics of the swarm through observing its behavior. The results show that networking the swarm demonstrated a more robust approach against adversarial learning than a local-proximity neighborhood structure

A systematic literature review on meta-heuristic based feature selection techniques for text classification

Feature selection (FS) is a critical step in many data science-based applications, especially in text classification, as it includes selecting relevant and important features from an original feature set. This process can improve learning accuracy, streamline learning duration, and simplify outcomes. In text classification, there are often many excessive and unrelated features that impact performance of the applied classifiers, and various techniques have been suggested to tackle this problem, categorized as traditional techniques and meta-heuristic (MH) techniques. In order to discover the optimal subset of features, FS processes require a search strategy, and MH techniques use various strategies to strike a balance between exploration and exploitation. The goal of this research article is to systematically analyze the MH techniques used for FS between 2015 and 2022, focusing on 108 primary studies from three different databases such as Scopus, Science Direct, and Google Scholar to identify the techniques used, as well as their strengths and weaknesses. The findings indicate that MH techniques are efficient and outperform traditional techniques, with the potential for further exploration of MH techniques such as Ringed Seal Search (RSS) to improve FS in several applications

Predator-prey survival pressure is sufficient to evolve swarming behaviors

The comprehension of how local interactions arise in global collective behavior is of utmost importance in both biological and physical research. Traditional agent-based models often rely on static rules that fail to capture the dynamic strategies of the biological world. Reinforcement learning has been proposed as a solution, but most previous methods adopt handcrafted reward functions that implicitly or explicitly encourage the emergence of swarming behaviors. In this study, we propose a minimal predator-prey coevolution framework based on mixed cooperative-competitive multiagent reinforcement learning, and adopt a reward function that is solely based on the fundamental survival pressure, that is, prey receive a reward of $-1$ if caught by predators while predators receive a reward of $+1$. Surprisingly, our analysis of this approach reveals an unexpectedly rich diversity of emergent behaviors for both prey and predators, including flocking and swirling behaviors for prey, as well as dispersion tactics, confusion, and marginal predation phenomena for predators. Overall, our study provides novel insights into the collective behavior of organisms and highlights the potential applications in swarm robotics

Biologically inspired herding of animal groups by robots

A single sheepdog can bring together and manoeuvre hundreds of sheep from one location to another. Engineers and ecologists are fascinated by this sheepdog herding because of the potential it provides for ‘bio-herding’: a biologically inspired herding of animal groups by robots. Although many herding algorithms have been proposed, most are studied via simulation. There are a variety of ecological problems where management of wild animal groups is currently impossible, dangerous and/or costly for humans to manage directly, and which may benefit from bio-herding solutions. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) now deliver significant benefits to the economy and society. Here, we suggest the use of UAVs for bio-herding. Given their mobility and speed, UAVs can be used in a wide range of environments and interact with animal groups at sea, over the land and in the air. We present a potential roadmap for achieving bio-herding using a pair of UAVs. In our framework, one UAV performs ‘surveillance’ of animal groups, informing the movement of a second UAV that herds them. We highlight the promise and flexibility of a paired UAV approach while emphasising its practical and ethical challenges. We start by describing the types of experiments and data required to understand individual and collective responses to UAVs. Next, we describe how to develop appropriate herding algorithms. Finally, we describe the integration of bio-herding algorithms into software and hardware architecture