The intelligent bionic model——ant colony

Improving the intelligent bionic ant colony model will require multidisciplinary research,and so its development will promote progress in related subjects.The ant colony model,a new intelligent bionic model which mimics the behavior of an ant colony,has progressed substantially in the last ten years.However,there has been no systematic study of this field in China.To encourage more research this paper gives a detailed introduction to several major ant colony models according to their underlying bionic principles and simulation methods.The latest developments in this field are also described.Then,typical applications of ant colony models are summarized,and new areas where they can be used are presented.Finally,comparisons are made between the ant colony algorithm,the particle swarm optimization algorithm,the immune algorithm,and the evolutionary algorithm.The similarities and differences between these algorithms are pointed out.This comprehensive introduction should promote research on ant colony algorithms in China.