EPSRC Network on Evolvability in Biology & Software Systems

Software Evolution and Evolutionary Computation Symposium Abstracts

University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, U.K.

7-8 February 2002

The Biological Metaphor and Self-Adaptive Software

ROBERT LADDAGA

MIT Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, Cambridge, Massachussetts, U.S.A.

rladdaga@ai.mit.edu

The talk covers some introductory material on the degree of abstractness in biological models or metaphors applied to software and software development. It then details the abstract biological metaphor applicable to self-adaptive software, which is defined. Relationships to self-organizing systems, dynamic equilibrium control systems, and intelligent adaptive control systems are discussed. Examples of self-adaptive software systems developed at MIT and elsewhere are presented. Finally, a research agenda is discussed.