Evolutionary Robotics
The automatic design of robot bodies and controllers through simulated evolution and selection.
Why it matters now
Machines that adapt their own behaviour survive in places people should not go: reactor interiors, deep sea, mine tailings, glaciers. Robots that keep working after damage extend mission life and reduce the material cost of every deployment, and the field's methods have begun to feed back into prosthetics and soft materials.
Where this is happening on Earth
- EuropeDamage-recovering robots developed in FranceMachines that discover a new gait within minutes after losing a limb.
- North AmericaJosh Bongard and Hod Lipson, Vermont and ColumbiaRobots that build internal self-models and adapt when their bodies change.
- Antarctica and OceaniaAutonomous underwater vehicles beneath ice shelvesAdaptive control for missions where no operator can intervene.
- AsiaDisaster response robotics in JapanMachines developed after Fukushima for environments no person can enter.
- AfricaAgricultural robotics trials in South Africa and KenyaAdaptive weeding and sensing machines suited to smallholder field conditions.
The idea itself
The encyclopedia entry first, then live searches at journals and magazines that keep returning current work on this specific idea.
Current reporting from around the world
Standing feeds at reputable periodicals. These stay fresh on their own, which is why they are here instead of a list of articles that would be out of date within a season.