Playing Flappy Bird on the Raspberry Pi is a simple feat in itself but this project takes things a step further by using artificial intelligence to play it for you. Created by maker Dmytro Panin, also known as Dr2mod at Reddit, this project acts as a standalone display that continuously plays through the classic game.
Sometimes the best Raspberry Pi projects have simple inspirations. Dr2mod explained the project idea derived from a desire to create something interesting and decorative to look at alongside the window by his desk. The end result was this self-playing Flappy Bird project.
The project relies on an SPI display for video output. It implements an AI algorithm from a paper known as Evolving Neural Networks through Augmenting Topologies, often referred to as NEAT, to navigate the map and guide flappy bird through the course of pipes. This Flappy Bird game is actually a clone designed by Panin just for the NEAT AI to operate.
According to Panin, the AI has a chance of failure. During some test runs, one agent failed to clear a pipe with a score of around 9,000. That said, he’s also seen some reach scores as high as 30,000.
Panin was kind enough to share the source code at GitHub for anyone interested in checking out the project in greater detail. If you enjoyed this project, be sure to follow Panin for more cool Raspberry Pi projects.
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Ash Hill is a contributing writer for Tom's Hardware with a wealth of experience in the hobby electronics, 3D printing and PCs. She manages the Pi projects of the month and much of our daily Raspberry Pi reporting while also finding the best coupons and deals on all tech.
