An Introduction to Artificial Immune Systems

The field of artificial immune systems (AIS) comprises two threads of research: the employment of mathematical and computational techniques in the modeling of immunology, and the incorporation of immune system metaphors in the development of engineering solutions. The former permits the integration of immunological data and sub-models into a coherent whole, which can be of value to immunologists in the facilitation of immunological understanding, hypothesis testing, and the direction of future research. The latter attempts to harness the perceived properties of the immune system in the solving of engineering problems. This chapter concentrates on the latter: the development and application of immune inspiration to engineering solutions.

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Acknowledgments

Mark Read is sponsored by the Department of Computer Science, University of York, and Paul Andrews is supported by EPSRC grant number EP/E053505/1.