Modeling high density collective behavior in C. elegans.

This talk presents an analysis of collective behavior in C. elegans. At high population densities, these nematodes form striking branching structures: a phenomenon we investigate using a classical zonal model of collective behavior with targeted modifications. We show that this approach successfully reproduces the observed branching patterns, shedding light on the underlying forces that shape them and illuminating a broader class of patterns commonly found in nature. The talk also addresses the challenges of studying this model organism and introduces a new set of recently collected videos documenting its behavior in these difficult conditions. Finally, the talk explores the prospect of engineering collective behavior in biological robots, drawing on insights from the C. elegans model.

Carlo is a PhD student at the Sapienza University of Rome and the Institute of Cognitive Science and Technology of the Italian National Research Council in the Collective Intelligence in Natural and Artificial Systems Lab. He holds a BSc in Computer Engineering and MSc in Artificial Intelligence from the University of Bologna. His work contributes to the Babots project for which he uses various modeling techniques to study and engineer the emergence of collective behavior in biological animal robots.