What is Digg?21 Comments
- hackwrench, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5"Each took between one day and one month to evolve, generating an electricity bill of more than $3,000 a month."
Well then, have it design a genetic programming machine that generates a lower electricity bill. - nthitz, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Professor Keen Bean tried this on an episode of "Richie Rich". Needless to say it did not work. However this may have a chance.
- zonk3r, on 10/12/2007, -0/+342?
- chesterjosiah, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3If Richie Rich's professor Keen Bean couldn't do it, why are these guys even trying?
- jimmyjimbo13, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I think that this is an absolutely ingenious invention. A machine that invents things. The idea behind it is ingenious, too. Using Darwinism in programmed code to perfect an invention is brilliant. This could be extremely useful.
- Imthatguy, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I have been a huge fan of Koza for a few years, the potential of genetic programming is so great it makes me nervous talking about it to my colleagues. There are so many unexploited areas, ripe for productive, profit-making exploitation. Watch out for jumps in processing power when the concept of genetic programming is successfully integrated with reconfigurable parallel processing.
- xofc, on 10/12/2007, -3/+5Standby for Skynet...
or worse yet, the Dawson's Creek Trapper Keeper. - powatom, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I'd heard of genetic algorithms before, but never genetic hardware design. Pretty damn awesome.
- szym, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2Koza did not "invent" GP, if you use the regular definition of the word. There were other scientists that used similar techniques before him as he admits in his 92' book. Though he did come up with the term Genetic Programming, and was probably the greatest contributor to the field.
- powatom, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2Actually, I wouldn't be at all surprised if a superior (ie, faster), implementation of this wasn't snatched up by the military to create super-weaponry from all the junk lying around.
- DrBones, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1The same comment I posted the first time this story was dugg
I can imagine the IP implications of patent trolling companies given a technology like this. Even worse could be the ways that people come up with to defeat patent laws. Either way, this could possibly help trigger some reform of the whole patent process.
My half baked proposal: Open source the development of these algorithms and create an army of opt in processors (a la Seti@home). Allow people to create new products for the machine to evolve to perfection, and let people decide which projects they want to dedicate CPU to.
Then, create a GPL type license for patents that are developed using the OSS and public network.This license should allow companies to innovate, and use the developments in their products, but must kick back any further developments to the community as a whole.
We need a way to keep ideas free to benefit society, not line the pockets of the greedy corporation who decided to patent something they have no moral right to. - Archimboldo, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Wow, a real Digg! Every once in a while one rises above the herd. I have, of course, heard of genetic programming, which has been around for a while, and even seen some free software packages, but hesitated to invest any time in something I would never use. Nice to see an article on real-world uses.
- johneffort, on 06/06/2008, -0/+1It sounds fantastic, and on the other side scary.
I still don't understand how this machine works, there is not much real explanation. I did especially like his realization that inventions are not something completely new out of the blue, but are new combinations of existing parts/ideas.
It is however very scary, the whole idea of evolving AI. It will definitely start hurting us in the future. We all know it, but that won't stop us from researching and implementing it. Humans are just too curious and driven to exploration to not do things like that.
It's just that I prefer the idea of a world where it's possible that I invent something than the idea of a world where every creative thing already has been developed by machines. That could kill the human creativity. Well, maybe not. It would make us creative to find ways to destroy them. :) - Omnicrola, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1FTOA: "His “invention machine,” as he likes to call it, has even earned a U.S. patent for developing a system to make factories more efficient, one of the first intellectual-property protections ever granted to a nonhuman designer."
Skynet anyone? - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Now to have the machine redesign itself.
- quiltmaster, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1What if it is smart enough to know not to replace itself? What if it is sentient? Has a concience? *DUN DUN DUNNNN*
- dubwai, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Calling it an invention machine is a bit of a stretch. Genetic algorithms try to find maximiums and minimums by semi-random exploration of parameters. From what I gather, the input is a set parameters that the algorithm can modify and some ranges to sta within. It then generates a large number (a polulation) of combinations of the parameters. It then check each one. It culls some precentage of these and makes sure the best solutions survive. It combines the characteristics of a number of the solutions to create new members. Repeat.
The computer is not thinking. It's really just a monte carlo problem solving technique.
I classis example of a problem that genetic algorithms are good for is the 'travelling salesman' problem which has been proven to be intractable using a direct deterministic solution. - GaleForce, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1Go Blue!
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1dam it i submitted this when i had my popsci mag 2 months ago this is bull *****
- mismail, on 10/12/2007, -3/+0this is amazing, imagine a corporation with an army of these machines that create a barrage of new inventions and technologically superior gadgets. The company that controls this army will control the world!! can i buy one? mu ha ha ha
- ac3boy, on 10/12/2007, -5/+1I welcome our new Koza overlords.
Check out the new & improved 
© Digg Inc. 2009
— Content created and posted by Digg users is