Evolving Modular Robots: Challenges and Opportunities

Abstract

The body of robots and their controllers need to be adapted to the task that they carry out. While it is possible to design and optimize free-form morphologies, its physical implementation consumes too many resources. In contrast, modular robots provide a feasible approach to design robotic morphologies that can be deployed in minutes, making them a suitable tool to implement virtual creatures. In this article, we tackle the main challenges to consider when evolving modular robots and mention some opportunities that these systems can provide.