[2F5-GS-5] Agents:

[2F5-GS-5-04] An Attempt to Introduce Hierarchy into the Artificial Life Model Lenia

〇Tatsuki Furukawa¹, Reiji Suzuki¹, Takaya Arita¹ (1. Nagoya University)

Keywords:Lenia, Cellular Automaton, Game of Life, Hierarchy

Lenia, an artificial life model proposed by Bert Chan in 2018, extends the classic 2D cellular automaton, the Game of Life, by making time, space, and state continuous values and allowing flexible setting of state transitions. A large number of "species" that exhibit various life-like behaviors have been discovered, attracting attention. In this study, we propose an extended model that realizes the hierarchical structure characteristic of life systems in the real world by using multiple cell layers of different granularities. Attractive and repulsive interactions operate between the two adjacent cell layers. We investigate the effects of the type and strength of interactions on pattern formation and biological behavior in a model composed of two layers of cell planes through computer experiments. The results show that the strength of the interaction strongly affects the behavior of the patterns (survival or extinction), and to some extent produces behavior similar to that of biological cells. We believe that experiments with this model could lead to important insights into the potential of Lenia, particularly with respect to the origin and evolution of biological hierarchy.