SIGGRAPH '94 Proceedings of the 21st annual conference on Computer graphics and interactive techniques
Genetic-Based EM Algorithm for Learning Gaussian Mixture Models
IEEE Transactions on Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence
Compositional pattern producing networks: A novel abstraction of development
Genetic Programming and Evolvable Machines
Multi material topological optimization of structures and mechanisms
Proceedings of the 11th Annual conference on Genetic and evolutionary computation
Heterochronic scaling of developmental durations in evolved soft robots
Proceedings of the 15th annual conference on Genetic and evolutionary computation
Growing and evolving soft robots
Artificial Life
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We demonstrate the evolution of locomoting amorphous robots composed of multiple materials. Research in evolutionary robotics has traditionally been limited to morphologies comprising rigid and discrete components, such as links connected with rotational or linear joints and actuators. In the continuous robots presented here, actuation is accomplished by periodic volumetric expansion and contraction of one or more materials composing the body of the robot. The challenges of representing evolvable multi-material freeform shapes and evaluation (simulation) of the resulting soft bodies are discussed. Several genotypic representations are explored which use a level-set threshold to generate the material distribution in the phenotype. Soft body simulation of the robot is accomplished using a relaxation algorithm to model the dynamics of the resulting amorphous machines under the actuation material expansion, gravity forces, and non-linear ground friction. These results open the door to a new design space that more closely mimics the freeform, amorphous and continuous nature of biological systems.