Discovering the competitors

This article reports on an experiment that tests whether a particular representation of robotic control processes is adequate for capturing significant variations in robot behavior. These variations can then be explored by a selectionist mechanism that generates and tests variations. An ecosystem modeled after a physical robotic ecosystem is introduced. The ecosystem contains a robot that occasionally has to recharge, as well as competitors that take away energy from the total system. The robot has to discover that its viability requires combating the competitors.This research has been carried out while visiting the Sony Computer Science Laboratory in Tokyo. The agents group is nanced by the Belgian Federal government FKFO pro ject on emergent functionality (NFWO contract nr G.001 4.95) and the IUAP pro ject (nr. 20) CONSTRUCT.Peer Reviewe