ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Polyworld

Polyworld is a software program that lets us create an artificial world with creatures that we can watch and study. Think of it as a big, digital playground where we can watch our virtual friends play and learn.

Just like in the real world, creatures in Polyworld need to eat, sleep and stay safe. They also have to look for mates to have babies and survive in their environment. But unlike real life, we can control the environment and observe how the creatures behave in different situations.

The creatures in Polyworld are called agents. Each agent has a unique set of characteristics, such as size, speed, and color. They also have simple brains that allow them to interact with their environment. For example, if an agent is hungry, it will try to find food. If it's tired, it will sleep.

The goal of Polyworld is to study how the agents evolve and learn over time. As we watch them go about their lives, we can see how they adapt and change in response to their environment. This helps us understand how complex behaviors can emerge from simple rules and interactions.

Polyworld is used by scientists and researchers to study a variety of topics, such as artificial intelligence, biology, and evolution. It's like having a virtual laboratory where we can experiment and learn about how the world works.