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The advantage of Evolvable Hardware (EHW) over traditional hardware is its capacity for dynamic and autonomous adaptation, which is achieved through by Genetic Algorithms (GAs). In most EHW implementations, these GAs are executed by software on a personal computer (PC) or workstation (WS). However, as a wider variety of applications come to utilize EHW, this is not always practical. One solution is...
‘Unconstrained intrinsic hardware evolution’ allows an evolutionary algorithm freedom to find the forms and processes natural to a reconfigurable VLSI medium. It has been shown to produce highly unconventional but extremely compact FPGA configurations for simple tasks, but these circuits are usually not robust enough to be useful: they malfunction if used on a slightly different FPGA, or at a different...
In this paper we present a new chromosome representation for evolving digital circuits. The representation is based very closely on the chip architecture of the Xilinx 6216 FPGA. We examine the effectiveness of evolving circuit functionality by using randomly chosen examples taken from the truth table. We consider the merits of a cell architecture in which functional cells alternate with routing cells...
An evolutionary algorithm is used to evolve a digital circuit which computes a simple hash function mapping a 16 bit address space into an 8 bit one. This circuit, based on FPGAs, is readily applicable to the design of set-associative cache memories. Possible use the evolutionary approach presented in the paper for on-line tuning of the function during cache operation is also discussed.
The study of intrinsic hardware evolution relies heavily on commercial FPGA devices which can be configured in real time to produce physical electronic circuits. Use of these devices presents certain drawbacks to the researcher desirous of studying fundamental principles underlying hardware evolution, since he has no control over the architecture or type of basic configurable element. Furthermore,...
Evolvable Hardware (EHW) has been proposed as a new method for designing systems for complex real world applications. One of the problems has been that only small systems have been evolvable. This paper indicates some of the aspects in biological systems that are important for evolving complex systems. Further, a divide-and-conquer scheme is proposed, where a system is evolved by evolving smaller...
We use evolutionary search to find automatically electronic circuits that toggle an output line at, or close to, a given target frequency. Reconfigurable hardware in the form of field-programmable gate arrays—as opposed to circuit simulation—computes the fitness of a circuit which guides the evolutionary search. We find empirically that oscillating circuits can be evolved that closely approximate...
In this paper a gate-level evolvable hardware technique for designing multiple-valued (MV) combinational circuits is proposed for the first time. In comparison with the decomposition techniques used for synthesis of combinational circuits previously employed, this new approach is easily adapted for the different types of MV gates associated with operations corresponding to different algebra types...
Cellular Programming is a model of co-evolving dissipative systems which absorb information and dissipate the useless information about the fitness landscapes on which co-evolution is performed. The information convection in the population determines a dissipative structure of the co-evolving non-uniform cellular automata which depends on how far from equilibrium the system is. We show that...
This work takes a different approach to synthesize a synchronous sequential logic circuit. The input of the synthesizer is a partial input/output sequence. This type of specification is not suitable for conventional synthesis methods. Genetic Algorithm (GA) was applied to synthesize the desired circuit that performs according to the input/output sequences. GA searches for circuits that represent the...
This paper describes a data compression system using Evolvable Hardware (EHW) for digital color electrophotographic (EP) printers. EP printing is an important technology within digital printing, which is currently having a significant impact on the printing and publishing industry. Although, it requires data-compression to reduce the cost for transferring and storing large EP images, traditional techniques...
Hardware evolution methodologies come into their own in the construction of real-time adaptive systems. The technological requirements for such systems are not only high-speed evolution, but also steady and smooth evolution. This paper shows that the Progressive Evolution Model (PEM) and Diploid chromosomes contribute toward satisfying these requirements in the hardware evolutionary system AdAM (Adaptive...
We present a method of evolving analog electronic circuits using a linear representation and a simple unfolding technique. While this representation excludes a large number of circuit topologies, it is capable of constructing many of the useful topologies seen in hand-designed circuits. Our system allows circuit size, circuit topology, and device values to be evolved. Using a parallel genetic algorithm...
This paper describes an analogue EHW (Evolvable Hardware) chip for Intermediate Frequency (IF) filters, which are widely used in cellular phones. When analogue Integrated Circuits (ICs) and Large-Scale Integrated Circuits (LSIs) are manufactured, the values of the analogue circuit components, such as resistors or capacitors, often vary from the precise design specifications. Analogue LSIs with such...
The basic properties of programmable analogue arrays are described and the problem of quantifying the fitness of an analogue circuit is discussed. A set of blocks appropriate for use in an evolutionary algorithm is described and results presented showing how an evolutionary algorithm using these blocks can learn to produce a given input-output characteristic. Finally an example is presented showing...
Our work focuses on the use of artificial evolution in Computer Aided Design (CAD) of electronic circuits. Artificial evolution promises to be an important tool for analog CAD development, due to the nature of this task, which has been proven to be much less amenable for standard tools than its digital counterparts. Analog design relies more on the designer’s experience than on systematic rules or...
This paper focuses on characteristics and applications of evolvable hardware (EHW) to space systems. The motivation for looking at EHW originates in the need for more autonomous adaptive space systems. The idea of evolvable hardware becomes attractive for long missions when the hardware looses optimality, and uploading new software only partly alleviates the problem if the computing hardware becomes...
The ontogenetic development of living beings suggests the design of a new kind of multicellular automaton endowed with novel quasi-biological properties: self-repair and self-replication. In the framework of the Embryonics (embryonic electronics) project, we have developed such an automaton. Its macroscopic architecture is defined by three features: multicellular organization, cellular differentiation,...
The ontogenetic development of living beings suggests the design of a new kind of multicellular automaton endowed with novel quasi-biological properties: self-repair and self-replication. In the framework of the Embryonics (embryonic electronics) project, we have developed such an automaton. Its macroscopic architecture is defined by three features: multicellular organization, cellular differentiation,...
A fundamental process in nature is that of ontogeny, whereby a single mother cell—the zygote—gives rise, through successive divisions, to a complete multicellular organism. Over the years such developmental processes have been studied using different models, two of which shall be considered in this paper: L-systems and cellular automata. Each of these presents distinct advantages: L-systems are naturally...
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