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Predator, Prey Robots Evolve
Predator robots are evolving at the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale of Lausanne; they are learning from the prey robots, natch. Darwinian selection, which was good enough for us, turns out to be good enough for them as well.
Just a few hundred generations of selection are sufficient to allow robots to evolve collision-free movement, homing, sophisticated predator versus prey strategies, coadaptation of brains and bodies, cooperation, and even altruism. In all cases this occurred via selection in robots controlled by a simple neural network, which mutated randomly.
(Predator, Prey robots evolve with each other)
Although the idea of evolving robots has been around for a while, we can watch anew what happens when robots are given a little help along the evolutionary path. Take the precursor series Caprica, for example. Did human beings help bring the Cylons into existence? Say it ain't so.
(Caprica video log)
The researchers at the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale have a choice to make - let's hope they make it wisely.
(Zoe from Caprica - the choice is made)
From Crunchgear; thanks to Moira for the tip and references for this story.
Scroll down for more stories in the same category. (Story submitted 2/3/2010)
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