Simulating flocks on the wing: the fuzzy approach

Traditionally the systematic study of animal behaviour using simulations requires the construction of a suitable mathematical model. The construction of such models in most cases requires advanced mathematical skills and exact knowledge of the studied animal's behaviour. Exact knowledge is rarely available. Usually it is available in the form of the observer's linguistic explanations and descriptions of the perceived behaviour. Mathematical models thus require a transition from the linguistic description to a mathematical formula that is seldom straightforward. The substantial increase of the processing power of personal computers has had as a result a notable progress in the field of fuzzy logic. In this paper we present a novel approach to the construction of artificial animals (animats) that is based on fuzzy logic. Our leading hypothesis is, that by omitting the transition from linguistic descriptions to mathematical formulas, ethologists would gain a tool for testing the existing or forming new hypotheses about 'why' and 'how' animals behave the way they do.