ABC: Ant-Based Computing

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Computational Cognition Lab, Open University of Cyprus

Project Website: http://cognition.ouc.ac.cy/loizos?get=Michael.etal_2012_AntComputerSimulator

As computing-enabled devices are becoming a standard educational tool even at the elementary level of education, it is becoming more pressing to develop ways in which these devices can be exploited not only to digitize existing material and teaching methodologies, but to offer novel ways in which complex concepts can be taught in an entertaining and interactive manner that appeals to the younger users.

The ABC project seeks to demonstrate the notion of computation using logic gates through the nature-inspired paradigm of an ant collective as a distributed computational unit. Closely following models of ant movement and pheromone propagation, the project develops a platform that young children can use to design their own logic circuits in the forms of paths for ants, and explore how circuits behave, while also appreciating some of the intricacies of how ants communicate and operate within a colony.



This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme.


This project has received funding from the Government of the Republic of Cyprus through the Directorate General for the European Programmes, Coordination and Development.