Evolutionary Computation

Evolutionary computation uses the basis of genetic algorithms and genetic programming which "evolves" programs consisting of mutation, crossover, and selection. This idea was implemented to create an artificial "zoo" of soft robots or "animals" that would evolve over a number of iterations. The goal was to create animals that "evolved" to move faster than its predecessors. Each animal is made up of springs and masses; they are subjected to varying forces such as gravitational, frictional and applied forces. After the zoo is created, the animals are put through an algorith where after over 1,000,000 iterations, the fastest animal would emerge.

Skills:

Programming: Python/VPython, CUDA, C++