An Investigation into how concepts of modularity affect the evolution of complex morphologies

Abstract

There are many different ways in which complex morphologies can be represented. While a simple string representation could be sufficient, often the most impressive artificial life simulations utilise. Context Free Grammars (1994, Karl Sims) or Recursive Tree Structures. When modelling a complex morphology using these encodings, it is possible to harness the creatures complex modularity to create more sensible and fit individuals. This article aims to compare and contrast the varying affects of evolutionary algorithms which utilise or disregard the organisms modularity