Science fiction become reality: Professor Guszti Eiben (Vrije University Amsterdam, Artificial Intelligence) and his team have for the first time ever succeeded in creating robots that can procreate themselves.

This break-through is an important first step in Industrail Evolution and could play a major role in a future colonization of the planet Mars. On May 26, 2016 during the Campus Party at the Jaarbeurs in Utrecht, two of Eiben’s robots mated and the first robot baby was revealed.

Because of this method of reproduction the robots not only are able to evolve their brains, but also their bodies. The robot-parents search and choose a suitable partner with certain desirable characteristics to improve the intelligence and physical form in their offspring. They adapt to their surroundings and the tasks their have to fulfill. This ability to evolve makes these robots suitable for use in environments that are not clearly defined at the start, like under water mines or other planets.

[bron: VU]

Watch the video below are explore the links below to learn more about this project.

News article on Scientias (Dutch)
Full text on the VU web site (Dutch)
Prof Guszti Eiben’s web site with additional links