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Placing humans at center of computer optimization yields hot plasmas

Posted: Sun Jul 30, 2017 8:16 pm
by TheRadicalModerate
Tri-Alpha is using kind of an interesting combination of genetic algorithm, physical test setup, and human as an objective function to do optimization on the plasma stability in the colliding FRCs.

At Ars Technica here.

Re: Placing humans at center of computer optimization yields hot plasmas

Posted: Sun Jul 30, 2017 8:55 pm
by Tom Ligon
That sooooo sounds like the plot of a science fiction tragedy I once read. The protagonist winds up as plasma.

Re: Placing humans at center of computer optimization yields hot plasmas

Posted: Sun Jul 30, 2017 9:10 pm
by mvanwink5
Google must smell success is eminent. Wants to claim credit. Bit player. Where is Google's support for Polywell? Cash is Key.

Re: Placing humans at center of computer optimization yields hot plasmas

Posted: Mon Jul 31, 2017 2:53 am
by Maui
Another article about it at Popular Mechanics.
I had no idea Tri-Alpha and Google were working together (says they started working together in 2014). Should I have known this?

Re: Placing humans at center of computer optimization yields hot plasmas

Posted: Mon Jul 31, 2017 11:26 am
by mvanwink5
Google has been a paid contractor. Zero risk for them.

Re: Placing humans at center of computer optimization yields hot plasmas

Posted: Wed Aug 02, 2017 11:38 pm
by JoeP
I did some work with Genetic Algorithms during my undergrad year doing some map walking NP-Complete type optimization programs. During this time I read about some research on an experiments with jet engine design coupled with GAs. I read GAs working with initial settings seeded from human engineers did better than GAs operating alone. It is the intuitive skills of an experienced engine designer coupled with the further refinement of variables due to running the genetic algorithm optimization program. I don't recall the study anymore, otherwise I would cite. Anyway, the point I have is this also worked with my much more simplistic map optimization program. If you gave a human a large, complex map, and asked them to eyeball the shortest path through all nodes and gave that to the GA, it would find highly efficient solutions much faster than random seeding. Pretty obvious result though.

Re: Placing humans at center of computer optimization yields hot plasmas

Posted: Thu Aug 03, 2017 12:17 am
by Skipjack
I have been wondering for a while about when AI and computers will overtake humans as the main drivers in innovation in fusion and other fields.