Feb. 29, 2000 Using a mythical merman and hungry sharks, a
University of Toronto computer science professor and two former
graduate students have pushed the notion of artificial
intelligence and virtual life to a new level. In his creation of
a virtual underwater world, Professor Demetri Terzopoulos has
fashioned more than just a cool screen saver - he has given his
animated characters the ability to think. A hungry shark circles
ominously, looking for a nice meal, while a nervous merman
searches for a place to hide. When the shark swims away, the
merman dashes from behind large rocks to open water with the
shark in hot pursuit. Will his cleverly devised plan allow him
to reach safety or not? "This is more than artificial
intelligence," says Terzopoulos. "It's artificial life. Computer
graphics, animation and virtual reality have advanced
dramatically over the past decade. We are now able to create
characters that are self-animating with functional bodies and
brains that have behaviour, perception, learning a