The Horizons of Evolutionary Robotics

Evolutionary robotics (ER) aims to apply evolutionary computation techniques to thedesign of both real and simulated autonomous robots. The Horizons of Evolutionary Roboticsoffers an authoritative overview of this rapidly developing field, presentingstate-of-the-art research by leading scholars. The result is a lively, expansive survey that will beof interest to computer scientists, robotics engineers, neuroscientists, and philosophers. Thecontributors discuss incorporating principles from neuroscience into ER; dynamical analysis ofevolved agents; constructing appropriate evolutionary pathways; spatial cognition; the coevolutionof robot brains and bodies; group behavior; the evolution of communication; translating evolvedbehavior into design principles; the development of an evolutionary robotics--based methodology forshedding light on neural processes; an incremental approach to complex tasks; and the notion of"mindless intelligence" -- complex processes from immune systems to social networks -- asa way forward for artificial intelligence.

ContributorsChristosAmpatzis, Randall D. Beer, Josh Bongard, Joachim de Greeff, Ezequiel A. Di Paolo, Marco Dorigo,Dario Floreano, Inman Harvey, Sabine Hauert, Phil Husbands, Laurent Keller, Michail Maniadakis,Orazio Miglino, Sara Mitri, Renan Moioli, Stefano Nolfi, Michael O'Shea, Rainer W. Paine, AndyPhilippides, Jordan B. Pollack, Michela Ponticorvo, Yoon-Sik Shim, Jun Tani, Vito Trianni, ElioTuci, Patricia A. Vargas, Eric D. Vaughan

Patricia A. Vargas is Director of the Robotics Laboratory and Lecturer in Computer Science and Robotics at Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh. Ezequiel A. Di Paolo is Research Professor at the University of the Basque Country. Inman Harvey is Senior Visiting Research Fellow at the University of Sussex. Phil Husbands is Professor of Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence at the University of Sussex.