Open-endedness induced through a predator-prey scenario using modular robots
This addresses the challenge of achieving open-endedness in evolutionary robotics, which is incremental as it builds on predator-prey dynamics with modular robots.
The study tackled the problem of inducing Open-Ended Evolution (OEE) by using a predator-prey scenario with modular robots, and the result showed the emergence of adaptive strategies, demonstrating viability, though dependent on conditioning reproduction to a behavioral criterion.
This work investigates how a predator-prey scenario can induce the emergence of Open-Ended Evolution (OEE). We utilize modular robots of fixed morphologies whose controllers are subject to evolution. In both species, robots can send and receive signals and perceive the relative positions of other robots in the environment. Specifically, we introduce a feature we call a tagging system: it modifies how individuals can perceive each other and is expected to increase behavioral complexity. Our results show the emergence of adaptive strategies, demonstrating the viability of inducing OEE through predator-prey dynamics using modular robots. Such emergence, nevertheless, seemed to depend on conditioning reproduction to an explicit behavioral criterion.