"Evolving robots previously required weeks of trial and error on a supercomputer," said Kriegman. "This is because evolution has no foresight. We found a way to remove this blindfold, thereby compressing billions of years of evolution into an instant." As a test of the technology, the researchers asked the algorithm to create a robot that could walk across a flat surface with no knowledge of human attempts. After 26 seconds and nine such generations, the system arrived at a design that could walk half its body length per second, utilizing three inline legs. The scientists proceeded to build a physical silicone model of the robot, which could indeed walk. It is hoped that once the technology is further developed, it could be used to optimize the design of robots intended for applications such as searching for trapped survivors at disaster sites, making repairs in sewage systems, or even performing medical procedures within the human body.
"Evolving robots previously required weeks of trial and error on a supercomputer," said Kriegman. "This is because evolution has no foresight. We found a way to remove this blindfold, thereby compressing billions of years of evolution into an instant." As a test of the technology, the researchers asked the algorithm to create a robot that could walk across a flat surface with no knowledge of human attempts. After 26 seconds and nine such generations, the system arrived at a design that could walk half its body length per second, utilizing three inline legs. The scientists proceeded to build a physical silicone model of the robot, which could indeed walk. It is hoped that once the technology is further developed, it could be used to optimize the design of robots intended for applications such as searching for trapped survivors at disaster sites, making repairs in sewage systems, or even performing medical procedures within the human body.