3 ms·
Looks like their shape is always defined by eight triangles. The page doesn't say what the genome defines about those triangles (only that there are eight verti
by Delk 2y ago
Looks like their shape is always defined by eight triangles. The page doesn't say what the genome defines about those triangles (only that there are eight vertices in the genome), but if it's just random angles and distances, it'd kind of make sense that they start as random spiky shapes.
I don't know why they stay that way. My first thought would be that it might be beneficial for the shape to be relatively low for stability, but with the shape between the wheels being concave for clearance. That doesn't quite seem to happen, except for the concave clearance to an extent.
Maybe the rest of the shape doesn't really matter for the simulation, so there's no selective pressure towards not having a spiky shape.
- hinkley 2y agoBoth runs I did the cars looked like a child drawing a car from Mad Max. My best guess is sort of adjacent to yours: a lot of cars flip on the initial drop and I think the spikes are helping them land right side up. Overfitting T=[0,1]
- adrianmonk 2y agoA big spike sticking out the top could change the center of mass and the moment of inertia. Both of those could affect how the car handles even if the spike never touches anything. Oh, and they can affect the mass. If the grip of the wheels takes into account the normal force, extra weight may help with traction. Hmm, and a 4th thing: some cars have a spike sticking out back behind the back wheels. These spikes sometimes function like wheelie bars, which are used on drag racers to prevent the car from flipping if the front end lifts off the ground. The wheelie bar kind of braces it but also lifts the traction wheels off the ground so they stop rotating it at the wrong moment.