Morphogenetic Robotics: An Emerging New Field in Developmental Robotics

Developmental robotics is also known as epigenetic robotics. We propose in this paper that there is one substantial difference between developmental robotics and epigenetic robotics, since epigenetic robotics concentrates primarily on modeling the development of cognitive elements of living systems in robotic systems, such as language, emotion, and social skills, while developmental robotics should also cover the modeling of neural and morphological development in single- and multirobot systems. With the recent rapid advances in evolutionary developmental biology and systems biology, increasing genetic and cellular principles underlying biological morphogenesis have been revealed. These principles are helpful not only in understanding biological development, but also in designing self-organizing, self-reconfigurable, and self-repairable engineered systems. In this paper, we propose morphogenetic robotics, an emerging new field in developmental robotics, is an important part of developmental robotics in addition to epigenetic robotics. By morphogenetic robotics, we mean a class of methodologies in robotics for designing self-organizing, self-reconfigurable, and self-repairable single- or multirobot systems, using genetic and cellular mechanisms governing biological morphogenesis. We categorize these methodologies into three areas, namely, morphogenetic swarm robotic systems, morphogenetic modular robots, and morphogenetic body and brain design for robots. Examples are provided for each of the three areas to illustrate the main ideas underlying the morphogenetic approaches to robotics.

[1]  Bernhard Sendhoff,et al.  A cellular model for the evolutionary development of lightweight material with an inner structure , 2008, GECCO '08.

[2]  R. Brent,et al.  Modelling cellular behaviour , 2001, Nature.

[3]  Hidde de Jong,et al.  Modeling and Simulation of Genetic Regulatory Systems: A Literature Review , 2002, J. Comput. Biol..

[4]  Yan Meng,et al.  A Morphogenetic Approach to Self-Reconfigurable Modular Robots using a Hybrid Hierarchical Gene Regulatory Network , 2010, ALIFE.

[5]  Benjamin L Turner,et al.  Supporting Online Material Materials and Methods Som Text Figs. S1 to S3 Table S1 References Robust, Tunable Biological Oscillations from Interlinked Positive and Negative Feedback Loops , 2022 .

[6]  Pauline C. Haddow,et al.  Achieving a simple development model for 3D shapes: are chemicals necessary? , 2007, GECCO '07.

[7]  Jon Rowe,et al.  Abstract genetic representation of dynamical neural networks using kauffman networks , 1997 .

[8]  Chih-Han Yu,et al.  Morpho: A self-deformable modular robot inspired by cellular structure , 2008, 2008 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems.

[9]  James Briscoe,et al.  The interpretation of morphogen gradients , 2006, Development.

[10]  A. Barr,et al.  A Simulation Testbed for the Study of Multicellular Development: The Multiple Mechanisms of Morphogenesis , 2008 .

[11]  Karl Sims,et al.  Evolving 3d morphology and behavior by competition , 1994 .

[12]  Hod Lipson,et al.  Uncontrolled Engineering : A Review of Nolfi and Floreano ’ s Evolutionary Robotics , 2001 .

[13]  Janet Wiles,et al.  Structure and dynamics of a gene network model incorporating small RNAs , 2003, The 2003 Congress on Evolutionary Computation, 2003. CEC '03..

[14]  Satoshi Murata,et al.  Self-reconfigurable robots , 2007, IEEE Robotics & Automation Magazine.

[15]  Giulio Sandini,et al.  Developmental robotics: a survey , 2003, Connect. Sci..

[16]  R. Beer,et al.  Developmental bias in evolution: evolutionary accessibility of phenotypes in a model evo‐devo system , 2008, Evolution & development.

[17]  Peter Eggenberger,et al.  Evolving Morphologies of Simulated 3d Organisms Based on Differential Gene Expression , 1997 .

[18]  Satoshi Murata,et al.  Toward a scalable modular robotic system , 2007, IEEE Robotics & Automation Magazine.

[19]  James L. McClelland,et al.  Autonomous Mental Development by Robots and Animals , 2001, Science.

[20]  Bart De Schutter,et al.  A Comprehensive Survey of Multiagent Reinforcement Learning , 2008, IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics, Part C (Applications and Reviews).

[21]  Yaochu Jin,et al.  A cellular mechanism for multi-robot construction via evolutionary multi-objective optimization of a gene regulatory network , 2009, Biosyst..

[22]  Hiroaki Kitano,et al.  A Simple Model of Neurogenesis and Cell Differentiation Based on Evolutionary Large-Scale Chaos , 1994, Artificial Life.

[23]  Chao Sima,et al.  Inference of Gene Regulatory Networks Using Time-Series Data: A Survey , 2009, Current genomics.

[24]  Nicholas C. Spitzer,et al.  Electrical activity in early neuronal development , 2006, Nature.

[25]  Bernhard Sendhoff,et al.  Emerged Coupling of Motor Control and Morphological Development in Evolution of Multi-cellular Animats , 2009, ECAL.

[26]  Arnab Bhattacharyya.  Morphogenesis as an amorphous computation , 2006, CF '06.

[27]  U. Alon.  Network motifs: theory and experimental approaches , 2007, Nature Reviews Genetics.

[28]  Erik K. Antonsson,et al.  Growth and development of continuous structures , 2007, GECCO '07.

[29]  Dario Floreano,et al.  Neural morphogenesis, synaptic plasticity, and evolution , 2001, Theory in Biosciences.

[30]  Peter Eggenberger-Hotz.  Evolving Morphologies of Simulated 3d Organisms Based on Differential Gene Expression , 2007 .

[31]  Kwang-Hyun Cho,et al.  Coherent coupling of feedback loops: a design principle of cell signaling networks , 2008, Bioinform..

[32]  Yan Meng,et al.  A morphogenetic approach to flexible and robust shape formation for swarm robotic systems , 2013, Robotics Auton. Syst..

[33]  D. Parisi,et al.  Growing neural networks , 1991 .

[34]  Hiroaki Kitano,et al.  Designing Neural Networks Using Genetic Algorithms with Graph Generation System , 1990, Complex Syst..

[35]  Yan Meng,et al.  Robustness Analysis and Failure Recovery of a Bio-Inspired Self-Organizing Multi-Robot System , 2009, 2009 Third IEEE International Conference on Self-Adaptive and Self-Organizing Systems.

[36]  L. Wolpert.  Developmental Biology , 1968, Nature.

[37]  Colm Massey,et al.  Recent Developments in the Evolution of Morphologies and Controllers for Physically Simulated Creatures , 2000, Artificial Life.

[38]  A. Lindenmayer.  Mathematical models for cellular interactions in development. I. Filaments with one-sided inputs. , 1968, Journal of theoretical biology.

[39]  Jacques Demongeot,et al.  Regulatory Networks Analysis: Robustness in Morphogenesis Regulation , 2009, 2009 International Conference on Advanced Information Networking and Applications Workshops.

[40]  Bernhard Sendhoff,et al.  Evolutionary multi-objective optimization of robustness and innovation in redundant genetic representations , 2009, 2009 IEEE Symposium on Computational Intelligence in Multi-Criteria Decision-Making(MCDM).

[41]  Les A. Piegl,et al.  The NURBS Book , 1995, Monographs in Visual Communication.

[42]  Sri R. Paladugu,et al.  In silico evolution of functional modules in biochemical networks. , 2006, Systems biology.

[43]  V. Hakim,et al.  Design of genetic networks with specified functions by evolution in silico. , 2004, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.

[44]  J. Mattick.  A new paradigm for developmental biology , 2007, Journal of Experimental Biology.

[45]  James K. Mills,et al.  Design of a six DOF reconfigurable gripper for flexible fixtureless assembly , 2004, IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics, Part C (Applications and Reviews).

[46]  Yan Meng,et al.  Autonomous Self-Reconfiguration of Modular Robots by Evolving a Hierarchical Mechanochemical Model , 2011, IEEE Computational Intelligence Magazine.

[47]  Risto Miikkulainen,et al.  A Taxonomy for Artificial Embryogeny , 2003, Artificial Life.

[48]  Stewart W. Wilson,et al.  Cell Interactions as a Control Tool of Developmental Processes for Evolutionary Robotics , 1996 .

[49]  Alois Knoll,et al.  Intelligent and Cognitive Systems -- EU/ERCIM Beyond-the-Horizon Working Group TG5 , 2006 .

[50]  A. Cangelosi,et al.  Cell division and migration in a 'genotype' for neural networks (Cell division and migration in neural networks) , 1993 .

[51]  B. Lieberman,et al.  Evolutionary Developmental Biology , 1993 .

[52]  Jean-Arcady Meyer,et al.  Evolution and development of neural controllers for locomotion, gradient-following, and obstacle-avoidance in artificial insects , 1998, IEEE Trans. Neural Networks.

[53]  Qilian Liang,et al.  Designing power aware self-reconfiguring topology for mobile wireless personal area networks using fuzzy logic , 2003, IEEE Trans. Syst. Man Cybern. Part C.

[54]  Wolfgang Banzhaf,et al.  Artificial Development , 2008, Organic Computing.

[55]  Mathieu Sablik,et al.  Positive circuits and d-dimensional spatial differentiation: Application to the formation of sense organs in Drosophila , 2008, Biosyst..

[56]  Maciej Komosinski,et al.  Framsticks: Towards a Simulation of a Nature-Like World, Creatures and Evolution , 1999, ECAL.

[57]  Jordan B. Pollack,et al.  Creating High-Level Components with a Generative Representation for Body-Brain Evolution , 2002, Artificial Life.

[58]  R. Pfeifer,et al.  Morphological computation for adaptive behavior and cognition , 2006 .

[59]  René Doursat,et al.  Programmable Architectures That Are Complex and Self-Organized - From Morphogenesis to Engineering , 2008, ALIFE.

[60]  W. Arthur.  The effect of development on the direction of evolution: toward a twenty‐first century consensus , 2004, Evolution & development.

[61]  Miguel Manzanares,et al.  Evolutionary Developmental Biology: Hox Gene Evolution , 2012 .

[62]  Giorgio Metta,et al.  Epigenetic robotics: modelling cognitive development in robotic systems , 2005, Cognitive Systems Research.

[63]  Chrystopher L. Nehaniv,et al.  Genetic Regulatory Network Models of Biological Clocks: Evolutionary History Matters , 2008, Artificial Life.

[64]  Xin Yao,et al.  Evolving Functional Symmetry in a Three Dimensional Model of an Elongated Organism , 2008, ALIFE.

[65]  E. Davidson,et al.  The evolution of hierarchical gene regulatory networks , 2009, Nature Reviews Genetics.

[66]  Jean-Philippe Thivierge,et al.  How does non-random spontaneous activity contribute to brain development? , 2009, Neural Networks.

[67]  M. Ani Hsieh,et al.  Pattern generation with multiple robots , 2006, Proceedings 2006 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, 2006. ICRA 2006..

[68]  Yaochu Jin,et al.  A fitness-independent evolvability measure for evolutionary developmental systems , 2010, 2010 IEEE Symposium on Computational Intelligence in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology.

[69]  David H. Sharp,et al.  A connectionist model of development. , 1991, Journal of theoretical biology.

[70]  M. Martindale,et al.  Asymmetric developmental potential along the animal-vegetal axis in the anthozoan cnidarian, Nematostella vectensis, is mediated by Dishevelled. , 2007, Developmental biology.

[71]  Philippe Collard,et al.  Artificial Neurogenesis: Applications to the Cart-Pole Problem and to an Autonomous Mobile Robot , 1997, Int. J. Artif. Intell. Tools.

[72]  Lewis Wolpert,et al.  Principles of Development , 1997 .

[73]  T. Flatt,et al.  What is metamorphosis? , 2006, Integrative and comparative biology.

[74]  Egbert J. W. Boers,et al.  Biological metaphors and the design of modular artificial neural networks , 2010 .

[75]  Scott F Gilbert,et al.  The morphogenesis of evolutionary developmental biology. , 2003, The International journal of developmental biology.

[76]  Bernhard Sendhoff,et al.  A Gene Regulatory Model for the Development of Primitive Nervous Systems , 2008, ICONIP.

[77]  Yasuo Kuniyoshi,et al.  Developmental Cognitive Robotics : An Emerging New Field , 2006 .

[78]  Lev V Beloussov.  Integrating self-organization theory into an advanced course on morphogenesis at Moscow State University. , 2003, The International journal of developmental biology.

[79]  R. W. Young.  Evolution of the human hand: the role of throwing and clubbing , 2003, Journal of anatomy.

[80]  Frédéric Gruau,et al.  Genetic Synthesis of Modular Neural Networks , 1993, ICGA.

[81]  Wei-Min Shen,et al.  Hormone-Inspired Self-Organization and Distributed Control of Robotic Swarms , 2004, Auton. Robots.

[82]  Ara N. Knaian,et al.  Design of programmable matter , 2008 .

[83]  F. Sengpiel,et al.  The Role of Activity in Development of the Visual System , 2002, Current Biology.

[84]  James M. Bower,et al.  Computational modeling of genetic and biochemical networks , 2001 .

[85]  Diego Federici,et al.  Evolving developing spiking neural networks , 2005, 2005 IEEE Congress on Evolutionary Computation.

[86]  Alois Knoll,et al.  Thematic Group 5 Intelligent and Cognitive Systems Report for Public Consultation Thematic Group Coordinators , 2006 .

[87]  Bernhard Sendhoff,et al.  Global shape with morphogen gradients and motile polarized cells , 2009, 2009 IEEE Congress on Evolutionary Computation.

[88]  Joaquin Sitte,et al.  Morphogenetic Evolvable Hardware Controllers for Robot Walking , 2003 .

[89]  Jordan B. Pollack,et al.  Coevolutionary robotics , 1999, Proceedings of the First NASA/DoD Workshop on Evolvable Hardware.

[90]  Chrystopher L. Nehaniv,et al.  Bio-Logic: Gene Expression and the Laws of Combinatorial Logic , 2008, Artificial Life.

[91]  Frank Dellaert,et al.  Toward an evolvable model of development for autonomous agent synthesis , 1994 .

[92]  Matteo Vasirani,et al.  EXPERIMENTS OF MORPHOGENESIS IN SWARMS OF SIMPLE ROBOTS , 2004 .

[93]  Yan Meng,et al.  Emergence of robust regulatory motifs from in silico evolution of sustained oscillation , 2011, Biosyst..

[94]  Neil Davey,et al.  Evolution of bilateral symmetry in agents controlled by spiking neural networks , 2009, 2009 IEEE Symposium on Artificial Life.

[95]  Hod Lipson,et al.  Book Review of Evolutionary Robotics: The Biology, Intelligence and Technology of Self-Organizing Machines by Stefano Nolfi and Dario Floreano , 2002, Artificial Life.

[96]  Ernesto Costa,et al.  A Computational Model of Gene Regulatory Networks and its Topological Properties , 2008, ALIFE.

[97]  Hod Lipson,et al.  Shape-Shifting Materials for Programmable Structures , 2009 .