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31 August 2006
Dancing bees lead to improved processes
A math formula based on honeybees’ dancing skills may lead to a better way to improve a process in real time.
After observing the “waggle dance” of bees foraging for nectar, researchers at Cardiff University’s Manufacturing Engineering Centre (MEC) in Wales developed the algorithm. The algorithm enables manufacturers to maximize results by changing basic elements of their processes. Ph.D. student Afshin Ghanbarzadeh and his team unveiled the algorithm at the Internet-based Innovative Production and Machines Conference hosted by MEC.
When a bee finds a source of nectar, it returns to the hive and performs a dance to show other bees the direction and distance of the flower patch and how plentiful it is. The other workers then decide how many of them will fly off to find the new source, depending on its distance and quality.
The bee algorithm mimics this behavior. With the algorithm, a computer can calculate the results of different settings on a manufacturing process. It will then search around and find the most successful settings in the same way as more bees head to the most promising flower patches.
The algorithm can handle up to 3,000 variables and is faster than existing calculations. By entering basic data about all or part of a company, or even just one machine, the MEC team can calculate the best outcome for a wide range of business processes. The team has already used the algorithm to work out the most efficient settings on welding systems and for the design of springs.
“This algorithm can help businesses work out the most effective way to set up their machines and save them a lot of money through running their processes as efficiently as possible,” said MEC Director Professor D.T. Pham OBE.
For related information, go to www.isa.org/manufacturing_automation.
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