TRURL: Artificial World for Social Interaction Studies
Takao Terano
Grad. Sch. Systems Management, Tsukuba University
http://www.gssm.otsuka.tsukuba.ac.jp/staff/terano/index.html
Setsuya Kurahashi
Grad. Sch. Systems Management, Tsukuba University
Ushio Minami
Grad. Sch. Systems Management, Tsukuba University
Abstract
TRURL is a simulation environment, which evolves artificial
worlds of multi-agents to socially interact with each other. The
micro-level agent activities are determined by both predetermined and
acquired parameters. The former parameters have constant values
during one simulation cycle, however, the latter parameters change
during the interactions. Unlike conventional artificial society
models, TRURL utilizes Genetic Algorithms to evolve the
societies by changing the predetermined parameters to optimize
macro-level socio-metric measures, which can be observed in such real
societies as e-mail oriented organizations and electronic commerce
markets. Thus, using TRURL, we automatically tune the
parameters up and observe both micro- and macro-level phenomena
grounded in the activities of real worlds. This paper first
describes basic principles, architecture, and mechanisms of
TRURL. Then, to investigate the features of Face-to-Face, E-Mail,
Net-News, and Mass-Communication oriented societies, we have carried
out intensive experiments. The results have suggested that
features of evolved agents characterize each society.