Science Track: Jared Moore, Grand Valley State University, Computing and Information Systems: “Evolving Robots For Distant Horizons”

Unexplored new worlds present environments that we have yet to encounter.  Each has its own set of unique physical characteristics different from our own planet.  Evolutionary robotics borrows concepts from natural evolution and applies it to the design of novel systems.  By harnessing digital simulation, we can explore the possible set of control and morphology combinations that enable future robots to explore challenging terrain.  This presentation introduces evolutionary robotics, current results, and speculates on applications to space exploration.