A Controllable and Developmental Virtual Life Model

Virtual life models, which are complex systems that perform morphological development, locomotion control, and coevolution, have received significant attention in recent years. Such models are the outcome of interdisciplinary research and can find applications in science, engineering, and entertainment. In this paper, a novel virtual life model called “Elastic Cubic Cell” is proposed. This model can develop itself into complex morphologies and efficiently controlling its body to perform challenging tasks. A specific morphology is developed through the division of virtual cubic cells, and the body softness is represented by damped springs embedded in the edges of each cell. A controller determines the properties of these springs by solving an optimization problem at each time interval and enables the body to move toward a goal point. This control optimization problem is formulated as a 0–1 combinatorial problem, which can be solved using a genetic algorithm.