CFP Towards autonomous evolution, production and learning in robotic eco-systems

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Special Session at ALife 2019

29th July - 2nd August. Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.

Advances in 3d printing technologies now enable us to print robot bodies from novel materials that flex and electronic circuitry using conducting inks. At the same time, new insights into evolutionary learning and adaptation promise new methods of developing adaptive control. Coupling these together, it is possible to perceive a long-term vision of a new technology enabling the evolution of entire autonomous robotic ecosystems that live and work for long periods in challenging and dynamic environments without the need for direct human oversight. In such a radically new autonomous system, robots will be conceived and born, rather than designed and manufactured and fundamentally change the concept of machines: evolution can discover novel morphologies and co-evolved controllers that are highly adapted to operate in these environments, which could not have been anticipated by human designer; further, they can change their form and behaviour, not in error but on purpose. This Special Session solicits novel research that will contribute towards achieving such a vision. Although evolving in hardware directly addresses the reality-gap, it is clear that this can be complemented and/or accelerated by simulation; significant progress will likely require combining evolution in both hardware and simulation. Suggested submissions might address (but are not limited to) the following topics:

Robot evolution in hardware
Evolution of morphologies using novel materials
Simulation of soft robotics
Closing the reality gap
Novel methods for co-evolution of morphology and control
Novel methods for facilitating learning and adaptation
Evolution of learnability in a robot population
Investigating the balance between morphological intelligence and brain intelligence
Evolving behavioural/morphological diversity within a robotic eco-system

Organisers

Emma Hart, Edinburgh Napier University
Andy Tyrrell, Jon Timmis, University of York
Alan Winfield, University West England
Gusz Eiben, Vrije Universitat, Amsterdam

Submission Instructions

All papers must follow the submission guidelines at https://2019.alife.org/submissions/papers-abstracts/

When submitting a paper, please select the Special Session during the upload process.

Important Dates

Paper Submission Deadline: Friday 8 March 2019
Notification of Acceptance: Wednesday 24 April 2019
Camera-Ready Submission: Friday 24 May 2019
Main Conference Convenes: 29 July 2019