Interactive Evolution of Camouflage

This paper presents an abstract computation model of the evolution of camouflage in nature. The 2d model uses evolved textures for prey, a background texture representing the environment and a visual predator. In these experiments, the predator’s role is played by a human observer. They are shown a cohort of ten evolved textures overlaid on the background texture. They click on the five most conspicuous prey to remove (“eat”) them. These lower fitness textures are removed from the population and replaced with newly bred textures. Biological morphogenesis is represented in this model by procedural texture synthesis. Nested expressions of generators and operators form a texture description language. Natural evolution is represented by genetic programming, a variant of the genetic algorithm. GP searches the space of texture description programs for those which appear least conspicuous to the predator.

• Type: Journal
• Year: 2011
• Where: ALIFE
• Authors: Craig Reynolds
• Keywords: ALIFE 2011, Biological Morphogenesis, Modeling And Simulation, Procedural Texture, Texture Synthesis