RoboGen: Robot Generation through Artificial Evolution

Science instructors from a wide range of disciplines agree that hands-on laboratory components of courses are pedagogically necessary (Freedman, 1997). However, certain shortcomings of current laboratory exercises have been pointed out by several authors (Mataric, 2004; Hofstein and Lunetta, 2004). The overarching theme of these analyses is that hands-on components of courses tend to be formulaic, closed-ended, and at times outdated. To address these issues, we envision a novel platform that is not only a didactic tool but is also an experimental testbed for users to play with different ideas in evolutionary robotics (Nolfi and Floreano, 2000), neural networks, physical simulation, 3D printing, mechanical assembly, and embedded processing. Here, we introduce RoboGen™: an open-source software and hardware platform designed for the joint evolution of robot morphologies and controllers a la Sims (1994); Lipson and Pollack (2000); Bongard and Pfeifer (2003). Robo- Gen has been designed specifically to allow evolved robots to be easily manufactured via widely available desktop 3D-printers, and the use of simple, open-source, low-cost, offthe- shelf electronic components. RoboGen features an evolution engine complete with a physics simulator, as well as utilities both for generating design files of body components for 3D printing, and for compiling neural-network controllers to run on an Arduino microcontroller board.