Automatic Tuning Of Car Controllers - UPDATED

Our blog friend and official Viking, Julian Togelius, is asking all the machine learning/artificial intelligence researchers, practioners, enthusiasts, etc. to submit a car controller tuned using your favorite learning algorithm. Further informations may be found here and here. The controllers will be subjected to a competition against each other during a set of races.

If were you, I would submit it immediately! If you don't, then, flee from your hometown or... face the Viking raid!! :)

The first place will be awarded a weekend staying at Valhala, being guided by Valkyries. :)

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I was told, in the comments, by Julian Togelius that there is a video from the last racing car competition they held this year at the last WCCI. See it here.

It is one of the bloodiest races I have ever seen in my whole life!

The blue car is very skilled.

Machine learning researchers of the world, unite! And send your controller to the competition!
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Evolving Proteomics Through Simulated Evolution - UPDATED

Excellent post by our blog friend Martin Pelikan, see it here.

It deals with the use of a genetic algorithm to select a subset of conformations explaining the experimental scattering profile best.

Despite choosing geophysics as my grad school career, I consider proteomics a big deal and it would worth a lot investing time and dedication pursuing a career in that field.

It would be interesting if Martin told us what kind of genetic algorithm he applied (EDA or classical ones).

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Martin Pelikan explained the evolutionary algorithm they used for evolving protein conformations:

"[...]The genetic algorithm we used is similar to a simple GA, but slightly crossed over with UMDA. We started with this simple method inspired by some prior work in this area and since the method worked, we used it. We tested it on artificially created examples and it worked great, and it gave reasonable results also for the real-world cases. More should be published soon, I hope."

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Thank you very much, Martin! I hope you achieve great results!