Foraging ants are just one example. When finding food, they lay down pheromones to mark the route to and from their nest. If something disrupts the route, the next-best alternative is quickly found. It is, therefore, what is known as a “self-healing” route.

George Danner, director of UK analytics firm Torus Business Web, says an algorithm based on ant foraging is perfect for helping companies find the optimum route for getting their products from A to B.

He has worked with a US energy major to do just this, helping it ship oil across the Gulf of Mexico more efficiently

[…]

By using this approach, Mr Danner devised a process designed to help the UK criminal justice system process cases faster, by grouping together similar kinds of offences. To a mathematician, the judiciary is just like any other factory, with complex moving parts that interact on many different levels.

[…]

“As we sit here in 2012, we are almost unlimited in what we can do. The only limitations to solving the world’s problems are ignorance and apathy.”

Ref: Business Turns to Ants and Algorithms in Search for Profit – BBC News