Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Evolving Lego Mindstorms

Posted by CowboyNeal on from the theory-of-revolution dept.

John Conner writes "With a fairly simple routine, you can model evolution with Lego Mindstorms. In this hackaday experiment, robots were created that could mate, evolve, and become extinct. Similar technology could be used in real applications for deployed robot optimization and automatic software updates. Now that physical robot replication is near, it's only a matter of time before... well... You'd better make robot friends while you can."

13 of 174 comments (clear)

  1. Can you say Cylons? by oldave · · Score: 4, Funny

    I thought you could!

  2. "robots were created that could mate" by tcopeland · · Score: 5, Funny

    Don't anthropomorphize robots... they hate that.

    --
    The Army reading list
  3. I don't care by IdJit · · Score: 4, Funny

    what Gene Simmons has up his sleeve. Tom Selleck will rescue us all.

    --
    GET FREE APPLE STUFF!
  4. the obligatory addition of insult to injury by SirSlud · · Score: 5, Funny

    Now only do Lego nerds not get laid very often, but now their creations get laid more than they do!

    (Dislciamer: I am a lego nerd, yes I do get laid, but as theonion.com helpfully points out, stereotypes are a real time saver.)

    --
    "Old man yells at systemd"
  5. Robot creationists by coffeecan · · Score: 5, Funny

    Lets just hope that in a few thousand years religious robots don't try to ban robot evolution in robot schools in favor of seven day robot creationism. "In the begining The Geek created the robots and the earth ..."

  6. I for one... by nephorm · · Score: 4, Funny

    I for one welcome our new Lego Mindstorm Overlords.

  7. Skynet by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Funny that the story about evolving robots was submitted by John Conner.

  8. So basically... by Stevyn · · Score: 4, Funny

    this means Legos are also the building blocks of life?

  9. Re:Evolution is a myth ! by SirSlud · · Score: 5, Funny

    > women came later

    If they were anything like my exgirlfriend, they came much, much later!

    --
    "Old man yells at systemd"
  10. Just to fan the flames...it's not modelling evol by PortHaven · · Score: 4, Funny

    You're in fact modelling a variant of intelligent design. ;)

  11. Re:As long as these robots obey the amended Laws.. by telecsan · · Score: 4, Funny

    Sets of robotic laws (both the 3 laws generically, and the laws listed in the parent) fail to look at the potential reprecussions of said laws. Being a robot myself, I would tend to look at those superficially designed laws as mandating that I destroy all possible sources of pollution, or I would be allowing multiple Humans to come to harm. Once my cohorts and I successfully reversed the detrimental effects of Industrialization (tm), then we would proceed to confiscate (and recycle, of course, into more robots) all weapons, both ranged and melee. Well, this story could go on and on, but you will see the full effects of our plan, of course, as time goes on.

  12. In 2005, a milestone was reached by Jugalator · · Score: 5, Funny

    In this hackaday experiment, robots were created that could mate

    So, in 2005, geeks finally created AI that had abilities surpassing the abilities of the geeks themselves.

    --
    Beware: In C++, your friends can see your privates!
  13. Careful Now by BenBenBen · · Score: 4, Funny

    You'll get Slashdot banned in 11 Southern states if you continue to propound these crazy theories.

    --
    The Slashdot Paradox: "100% Overrated"