AI Algorithm Designs a Unique Walking Robot that Defies Conventional Evolutionary Models; How Is It Possible?

Northwestern University researchers challenged an AI model to design a walking robot from scratch, leading to an unconventional creation. The AI rapidly generated plans for a squishy, purple blob-like robot with unique "legs" propelled by air.

Sam Kriegman, an associate professor, noted that this robot's design vastly differs from any known walking animal on Earth. The AI's creative, non-evolutionary approach underscores the complexity and unpredictability of advanced AI models.

Making the Squishy Walking Robot

Kriegman is renowned for his creation of xenobots, which are living robots composed of biological cells. Now, he sees his team's new AI venture as the next step in their exploration of artificial life's possibilities.

This unassuming robot, despite its small, misshapen, and inorganic material composition, represents a groundbreaking achievement in AI-designed tools capable of direct interaction with the environment, akin to animals.

The recent study, titled "Efficient automatic design of robots" published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), showcased this AI's innovative design process.

Initially, the AI failed to create a walking robot, offering only a soap-sized block with wiggling capabilities. However, the AI swiftly iterated on its design, mimicking the long process of evolution but in mere seconds. In just 26 seconds, the AI settled on a misshapen yet functional design, illustrating the concept of "instant evolution."

Previously, evolving robots demanded weeks of trial and error on supercomputers. By initiating the AI with a prompt to design a land-walking machine, the researchers handed over control to the AI, which began with a soap-sized block unable to walk.

After nine iterations, it achieved a robot capable of walking half its body length in a second, an impressive feat in such a short timeframe, symbolizing the removal of the "blindfold" that evolution carries. Kriegman sees this approach as a means to observe real-time evolution, condensing billions of years of evolutionary processes into mere seconds.

Unconventional Design for Robotic Legs

While the concept of evolving legs for the robot seems logical, the introduction of holes into its body raises intrigue. These seemingly random holes have a function that remains unclear. Kriegman's theory suggests that this porosity serves to reduce weight and enhance flexibility, allowing the robot to flex its legs while walking.

Kriegman is both surprised and captivated by the robot's design, noting that traditional human-designed robots typically resemble familiar objects like humans, dogs, or hockey pucks. In contrast, AI presents innovative possibilities and unconventional solutions that may expand human thinking, potentially aiding in tackling complex challenges.

Although the AI's initial robot can only shuffle forward, Kriegman envisions a realm of opportunities for tools designed by the same program. These robots could potentially navigate debris in collapsed buildings, search for trapped individuals by following thermal and vibrational cues, address issues in sewer systems, and repair damage.

Furthermore, the AI might be capable of designing nano-robots for medical applications, such as unclogging arteries, diagnosing illnesses, or combating cancer cells.

However, not everyone embraces AI's unconventional creations. For instance, Hayao Miyazaki, the Studio Ghibli founder, expressed strong disapproval of an AI video generator's portrayal of a humanoid figure walking during a 2016 presentation. This underlines the varying reactions to AI's unconventional creations in different quarters.

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