Output details
15 - General Engineering
University of the West of England, Bristol
Ants in a labyrinth: A statistical mechanics approach to the division of labour
This theoretical study of a spatially explicit model for the division of labour, inspired by the classic ‘Ant in a Labyrinth’ model by the physics Nobel Laureate Pierre de Gennes, demonstrates for the first time that the non-random distribution of members of a social organisation could be caused by indirect (stigmergic) interactions, that is, changes in the environment resulting from the behaviour of others, as opposed to just direct agent-to-agent interactions. This result has already impacted studies on the costs and benefits of specialisation in autonomous systems (Robotics and Autonomous Systems 2012 11:1408-1420).