Sabine Heller

School of Visual Arts

MFA Computer Art

Page

Thesis Research Paper: Final

Animation - The Wall

Thesis Research Paper: Artificial Life

by Sabine Heller

School of Visual Arts

MFA Computer Art

Animation

November 2005

Sabine Heller

School of Visual Arts

MFA Computer Art

Page

Thesis Research Paper:

Artificial Life

Table of Contents

3

List of Illustrations

4

Abstract

5

Introduction

6

3 Historical, Theoretical & Cultural Context

6

3. Artificial Life and Crowd Simulation

6

3.. What is Life?

6

3.. What is Artificial Life?

7

3..3 Artificial Life versus Artificial Intelligence

8

3..4 History and Examples of Artificial Life

0

3..5 The Ethics of Artificial Life

2

4 Conclusion

13

Bibliography

Sabine Heller

School of Visual Arts

MFA Computer Art

Page 3

Thesis Research Paper:

Artificial Life

List of Illustrations

Figure :

,,TERRAIN_0" - an interactive artificial life installation, p. 6,

(Gerbel and Weibel 993, 35).

Figure :

,,Polyworld" - an ecological simulator, p. 6,

(Gerbel and Weibel 993, 4).

Figure 3:

Artificial Life in Robotics, p. 7,

(Gerbel and Weibel 993, 96).

Figure 4:

Example for an ,,automata": the duck of Vaucanson, p. 8,

(Gerbel and Weibel 993, 8).

Figure 5:

Example for a cellular automaton, p. 9,

(Adami 998, 35).

Figure 6:

Flocking ,,Boids" by Craig Reynold, p. 0,

(Gerbel and Weibel 993, 50).

Figure 7:

,,Simlife" an Artificial Life game, p. 1,

(Gerbel and Weibel 993, 0).

Sabine Heller

School of Visual Arts

MFA Computer Art

Page 4

Thesis Research Paper:

Artificial Life

1 Abstract

My thesis research will be a detailed discussion of the topic Artificial

Life and Crowd Simulation to illuminate the technical aspects of my

thesis animation.

For my creative work it is especially important to focus on Crowd Si-

mulation. But to understand this new technology it is unavoidable to

understand the ideas behind it. The roots of Crowd Simulation lie in

Artificial Life and Artificial Intelligence. But what are Artificial Life and

Artificial Intelligence and what is the difference between these two

topics? My thesis will deal with these questions and explore the dif-

ferences and the thoughts Artificial Life and Artificial Intelligence have

in common. I will define and research the history of Artificial Life and

its connected philosophical, moral and ethical questions.