Boids

Boids, developed by Craig Reynolds in 1986, represent an artificial- life program that simulates the flocking behavior of birds.

Like most programs of this type, Boids are a form of emergent behavior, ie the complexity of Boids arises from the interaction of individual agents (in this case the Boids ) that follow a simple set of rules. In the simplest variant, the following rules apply:

• Separation: choose a direction that counteracts the accumulation of Boids
• Approximation: choose a direction corresponding to the mean direction of the neighboring Boids
• Cohesion: choose a direction corresponding to the middle position of the neighboring Boids

You can add additional rules, such as the avoidance of obstacles or a destination search.

The movement pattern can be distinguished in chaotic ( random movement and breaking of the swarm ) and sorted in principle.

The Boids system is often used for computer graphics, which provide a realistic view of birds and other creatures (fish, sheep).

Boids are related to the cellular automata, since they act the same way, depending on their neighbors.