On Three Challenges of Artificial Living Systems and Embodied Evolution

TL;DR

This paper discusses the major challenges in creating autonomous, self-replicating artificial living systems and explores embodied evolution as a pathway to achieve sustainable, life-like technologies.

Contribution

It identifies key challenges and outlines a research agenda integrating ICT, bio- and chemo- developments, soft robotics, material science, and self-replication for advancing artificial living systems.

Findings

Highlighting the importance of self-replication in autonomous systems

Connecting ICT with bio- and chemo- developments for progress

Advancing soft robotics and material science for embodied evolution

Abstract

Creating autonomous, self-supporting, self-replicating, sustainable systems is a great challenge. To some extent, understanding life means not only being able to create it from scratch, but also improving, supporting, saving it, or even making it even more advanced. This can be thought of as a long-term goal of living technologies and embodied evolution. Current research agenda targets several short- and middle-term steps towards achieving such a vision: connection of ICT and bio-/chemo- developments, advances in "soft" and "wet" robotics, integration of material science into developmental robotics, and potentially, addressing the self-replication in autonomous systems.