Simulations · A
A — Awareness
Awareness introduces feedback: a system uses information about its own state to regulate itself. These visual aids are not presented as proofs—only as intuition builders.
Homeostasis Loop Toy
Awareness introduces feedback: the system uses information about its own state to regulate itself.
What to look for
- The agent’s ring turns cyan when energy is above target and red when below.
- Control gain changes how aggressively the agent corrects toward target.
- Noise and drift push the system away from equilibrium; feedback pulls it back.
- “Memory” is just smoothing of recent sensory input—no symbols, meaning, or goals.
- Press Shock to perturb the system and make the effects of Gain and Memory immediately visible.
Controls
TargetiDesired internal energy level the agent tries to maintain (the set-point). If the change isn’t obvious immediately, watch ~5 seconds, or increase Drift.0.55
Control gainiHow strongly the agent reacts to error (target − energy). Higher gain corrects faster (and may overshoot). Most visible after changing Target or pressing Shock.0.55
Sensor noiseiRandom distortion added to sensed environmental input. This effect is statistical—watch 5–10 seconds. Higher noise adds wobble and reduces stability.3%
Environment driftiRate at which the environment changes over time. Drift accumulates—compare 0 vs high drift and watch 10–20 seconds.0.0025
SpeediSimulation steps per second. Higher values advance the system faster (immediate effect).18 steps/sec
MemoryiTemporal smoothing of recent sensory input (a low-pass filter). Best seen when Drift or Noise > 0. Long memory is smoother but responds more slowly (lag).
Memory is simple smoothing of sensed input (no symbols or meaning).
AgentsiAdds multiple self-regulating agents. Differences become clearer with Drift/Noise, or after pressing Shock.
How this simulation works
The environment is a drifting resource field. Each agent senses local conditions, compares its internal energy to a target, and acts to reduce error.
This is a feedback loop: information about the system’s state guides action to maintain stability. There are no symbols or meaning—only regulation.
IO note
A (Awareness) here means self-regulation using information about internal state—not human-like consciousness.