An improved approach for the collective construction of architectures inspired by wasp nests

Abstract

We present in this article, a new decentralized algorithmic approach for the automatic construction of three-dimensional structure based on simple behavioral rules. This model is an improvement of the model introduced by Eric Bonabeau and Guy Theraulaz to simulate the process of building wasps’ nest. To speed up the construction process, and to prevent the builder swarm from moving far away from regions with stimuli to build, we constructed a dynamic envelope that limits agents’ movements to remain close to the built structure. The envelope adjusts both as the structure develops and as agents assess whether individual sites should be built in, or not. The use of such an envelope results in faster construction and gives an explicit method for terminating a simulation when no buildable sites remain, thus indicating that a structure has converged to its final form.