What about those ants? Swarm Intelligence for Virtual Environments

The use of 3D virtual worlds has spread rapidly in recent years. These worlds have various uses ranging from computer games to urban design simulation systems. However, the spread of 3D virtual worlds has been impeded due to the problem of users not being able to find their way in and around virtual worlds. Hence improving wayfinding has become a crucial area of research. As virtual worlds become more advanced, they will be better equipped to run complex design scenarios highlighting potential design faults and areas for improvements. If virtual worlds technology is to become an effective and reliable design tool for the construction industry, wayfinding must also be developed to minimise wastage and inefficiency that may arise out of users not being able to find routes to their destinations. Swarm intelligence, with its distributed information gathering crawlers, points to a promising area of research for those who seek to broaden the capacity of wayfinding aids.