Karl Sims - Evolved Virtual Creatures, Evolution Simulation, 1994

This video shows results from a research project involving simulated Darwinian evolutions of virtual block creatures. A population of several hundred creatures is created within a supercomputer, and each creature is tested for their ability to perform a given task, such the ability to swim in a simulated water environment. Those that are most successful survive, and their virtual genes containing coded instructions for their growth, are copied, combined, and mutated to make offspring for a new population. The new creatures are again tested, and some may be improvements on their parents. As this cycle of variation and selection continues, creatures with more and more successful behaviors can emerge.
More info: http://www.karlsims.com/evolved-virtual-creatures.html

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• simulation
• evolution
• creatures
• evolutionary
• life
• art

[scotchfaster]

One of the most impressive programs ever written. Even in 2011, this is still amazing.

[DevilMaster]

I find it hilarious that a guy named SIMS developed virtual creatures.

[kevindias12]

can this game be played online?

[sulljoh1]

@aseacucumber07 We're a long way from evolving a car from the ground up. Nature has the great advantage of processing power, which sounds strange, but try calculating the path of a rock falling down a complex hill in every detail.

I was part of a project where we optimized wind harvesting design for power output and increased it by over 30% but we didn't get any creative problem solving like Karl's evolvable instruction sets here, and I don't know anywhere that is happening, sadly.

[aseacucumber07]

@sulljoh1 I mean, GAs are principally used as an optimization algorithm- this video shows an initially random hunk of blocks being optimized for its environment. Also, it may seem creative, but GAs can be used to evolve tree graphs and other arbitrarily sized structures (like acyclic graph NNs and even parse trees interpreted as programs! Look up Genetic Programming- it's terrifyingly awesome.) The "growing" aspect is probably a difficult feature to make user-friendly to engineers, though.

[aseacucumber07]

@sulljoh1 Ehhh my understanding is that they're mostly constrained problems in the industry, but I wouldn't be surprised if there were something else happening with them. In terms of literally evolving a car from the ground up, I have no idea. There are even car commercials that mention the use of GAs, though. Engineers may only know to apply GA algorithms in constrained ways, since that's the only way Excel allows ; )

[sulljoh1]

@aseacucumber07 Are they? I've been digging though the literature. All I find are Koza/Holland type GAs being used to solve constrained optimization problems in engineering. These creatures are developed using evolvable instruction sets to find solutions that look, frankly, creative.

If you know of any techniques more like Sims' being used in industry I'd really appreciate a reference or link!

[aseacucumber07]

@jorgegt60 What you see here is man exploring the means God used to create us, only we've just barely scratched the surface... the complexity of genetic algorithms' correct implementation are a testament to just how obscenely intelligent our maker is. Implementing GAs are a lot of fun too- I would go as far as to call them a spiritually enlightening process, given the vast number of parallels between them and intelligent design, or at least from a higher level, appeal to the creative side.

[aseacucumber07]

@sulljoh1 They already are : )

[seebeess]

@jorgegt60 The amazing part is that the looks and behaviors of and those creatures were not programmed, but rather they evolved from some non-sense creatures to behave in the way you see now.

[jorgegt60]

Don't know what all the fuss is about, they're just doing what they have been programmed to do. If you really wish to be amazed take a look at what takes place inside every cell. Now there you will find trully amazing programming, only this time it's from the mind of God not man.

[sulljoh1]

Now call me naive but why can't we use this AL process to generate low energy/carbon vehicles, devices and buildings? Look at those innovative solutions the program is finding to difficult problems. The world has a lot of difficult problems to solve right now...