Evolving Creatures Flashcards
Evolving Creatures case study
What are the four main areas of bio-inspired computing mentioned in the text?
Cybernetics, Connectionism, Artificial Life, and Genetic Algorithms
Who is generally credited with inventing genetic algorithms?
John Holland from the University of Michigan in the 1960s
What is the definition of a genetic algorithm according to Goldberg and Holland?
Probabilistic search procedures designed to work on large spaces involving states that can be represented by strings
What are the three main components of a genetic algorithm?
Encoding (genotype), Expression (phenotype), and Selection (fitness function)
What is the purpose of the ‘fitness function’ in a genetic algorithm?
To evaluate and rank potential solutions based on how well they solve the given problem
What is ‘roulette wheel selection’ in genetic algorithms?
A selection method where individuals are chosen for breeding based on their fitness, with higher fitness individuals having a higher probability of being selected
What are the two main steps in creating a new generation in genetic algorithms?
- Crossover (recombining parts of two parent solutions) and 2. Mutation (randomly altering bits of the new solution)
What is ‘hyperplane sampling’ in genetic algorithms?
The ability to break a solution into components and test those components in multiple combinations with other components
What is ‘implicit parallelism’ in genetic algorithms?
Using a population model to maintain, optimize, and recombine multiple solutions simultaneously
Who created the ‘Evolving Virtual Creatures’ system and what was its purpose?
Karl Sims; to create virtual creatures that move and behave in simulated three-dimensional physical worlds
How does Karl Sims represent the morphology of his virtual creatures?
As a directed graph, where nodes represent body parts and connections represent joints
What is the ‘schema theorem’ in genetic algorithms?
A theorem that describes how certain patterns (schemata) in the genetic encoding are preserved and propagated through generations
Name three potential applications of genetic algorithms mentioned in the text.
Finding the ideal shape of an airplane wing, optimizing data center settings to reduce power consumption, and developing efficient robot forms for walking
How does Karl Sims’ system represent the control system of virtual creatures?
As a neural network architecture mapping sensor inputs to actuator outputs
What is an example of a state-of-the-art application of evolutionary computing mentioned in the text?
Karl Sims’ evolving virtual creatures, which can develop complex behaviors like walking and swimming
What are the three main phases of a Genetic Algorithm (GA) for evolving creatures?
1) Varied population with heredity, 2) Selection test, 3) Variations of the most effective individuals
What file format is used to specify robot morphologies in the simplified version of Sims’ system?
URDF (Unified Robot Description Format)
What simulation environment is used instead of Sims’ original CM-5 setup?
PyBullet
What is typically used as a basic fitness function for evolving creatures?
How far the creature moves
What selection method is mentioned for choosing individuals for breeding?
Roulette wheel selection
What is PyBullet?
A Python interface for the Bullet physics engine, recommended for robotics and reinforcement learning
What are the three main types of joints in PyBullet?
JOINT_REVOLUTE (rotate), JOINT_PRISMATIC (move along an axis), and JOINT_FIXED (does not move)
What does URDF stand for?
Unified Robot Description Format
What are the two main components described in a URDF file?
Links (body parts) and joints (connections between links)
