Description:
Evolutionary Design by Computers is a collection of essays that describe recent research into "evolutionary" computing, where computers mimic the strategies of biological evolution to solve problems in architecture, engineering, art, and artificial life. Peter Bentley's excellent introduction to the current state of evolutionary design quickly orients readers to the field. Bentley shows that no matter how various practitioners identify themselves, they are united in applying the principals of Darwinism to computer algorithms. The collection includes several theoretical essays that discuss the relationship of computer-driven design to human innovation. A section on evolutionary designs furnishes several case studies on real applications of these techniques--specifically, engineering problems for designing satellite booms, flywheels, and a reliability measurement for networks. Among the contributions are essays on computer-art packages that make use of evolutionary algorithms. Programs such as Mutator and Forms show how anyone can use these evolutionary techniques. This discussion includes a survey of today's evolutionary art (evoart) packages, including several that are available on the Web. The last part of the book covers artificial life, showcasing a program that evolves simple blocklike creatures that walk, swim, jump, and even compete with each another--a program that has obvious applications for robotics. The final sections examine additional real-world applications of evolutionary design techniques for architecture (for designing tables and hospital floor plans) and electrical engineering (specifically, analog circuits). In all, Evolutionary Design by Computers provides an excellent introduction to one of today's most promising areas of computer science research for both specialists and general readers alike. --Richard Dragan
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