Swarm Behaviour// Gnats
The project was introduced through the means of a reader- 'Out of control' by Kevin Kelly- about swarm intelligence and the innate ability and behaviour of several species to communicate with others of its kind. My research involved the understanding of the formation and path followed by Gnat swarms.
Gnats swarm for defense and mating, and are attracted to light. They have a defense mechanism wherein they can perceive a predator by the heat emitted by it. The central axis of the swarm consists of the female gnats making it easier for mating.
Concept Diagrams
Whenever there is a predator they diverge from the central axis and surround the predator, making it easier to defend.
The divergence allows the heat emitted by the predator to make the next rows aware of the predator, and so on, until the last rows where the immature gnats are. The divergence allows them to defend. Hence, they follow a specific path and formation in order to communicate and defend themselves.
The aperture prototype shows this behaviour of the gnats along with the axis and position of the gnats through the light entering through the aperture
