Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 20, 2025

Designing and Implementing Nervous System Simulations on LEGO Robots
Published on: May 25, 2013
Environmental influences on evolvable robots
Karine Miras1, Eliseo Ferrante1, A E Eiben1
1Computer Science Department/Computational Intelligence Group Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Abstract:
The field of Evolutionary Robotics addresses the challenge of automatically designing robotic systems. Furthermore, the field can also support biological investigations related to evolution. In this paper, we evolve (simulated) modular robots under diverse environmental conditions and analyze the influences that these conditions have on the evolved morphologies, controllers, and behavior. To this end, we introduce a set of morphological, controller, and behavioral descriptors that together span a multi-dimensional trait space. Using these descriptors, we demonstrate how changes in environmental conditions induce different levels of differentiation in this trait space. Our main goal is to gain deeper insights into the effect of the environment on a robotic evolutionary process.
Related Concept Videos
Environmental Influences on Intelligence
Causes of Social Behavior III: Biological and Environmental Influences
Evolutionary Psychology
Environmental Applications of Microorganisms
Background and Environment Affect Phenotype
An example of how genetic background affects phenotype can be seen in horses. The Extension gene in horses is responsible for their coat color. A wild-type gene (EE) produces black pigment in the coat, while a mutant gene (ee) produces red pigment. A...
Mechanical Systems

