Designing morphologies of soft medical devices using cooperative neuro coevolution

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Alcaraz-Herrera, Hugo, Tsompanas, Michail-Antisthenis, Balaz, Igor, Adamatzky, Andrew
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Alcaraz-Herrera, Hugo
Tsompanas, Michail-Antisthenis
Balaz, Igor
Adamatzky, Andrew
author_facet Alcaraz-Herrera, Hugo
Tsompanas, Michail-Antisthenis
Balaz, Igor
Adamatzky, Andrew
contents Soft robots have proven to outperform traditional robots in applications related to propagation in geometrically constrained environments. Designing these robots and their controllers is an intricate task, since their building materials exhibit non-linear properties. Human designs may be biased; hence, alternative designing processes should be considered. We present a cooperative neuro coevolution approach to designing the morphologies of soft actuators and their controllers for applications in drug delivery apparatus. Morphologies and controllers are encoded as compositional pattern-producing networks evolved by Neuroevolution of Augmented Topologies (NEAT) and in cooperative coevolution methodology, taking into account different collaboration methods. Four collaboration methods are studied: n best individuals, n worst individuals, n best and worst individuals, and n random individuals. As a performance baseline, the results from the implementation of Age-Fitness Pareto Optimisation (AFPO) are considered. The metrics used are the maximum displacement in upward bending and the robustness of the devices in terms of applying to the same evolved morphology a diverse set of controllers. Results suggest that the cooperative neuro coevolution approach can produce more suitable morphologies for the intended devices than AFPO.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2506_03847
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Designing morphologies of soft medical devices using cooperative neuro coevolution
Alcaraz-Herrera, Hugo
Tsompanas, Michail-Antisthenis
Balaz, Igor
Adamatzky, Andrew
Neural and Evolutionary Computing
Soft robots have proven to outperform traditional robots in applications related to propagation in geometrically constrained environments. Designing these robots and their controllers is an intricate task, since their building materials exhibit non-linear properties. Human designs may be biased; hence, alternative designing processes should be considered. We present a cooperative neuro coevolution approach to designing the morphologies of soft actuators and their controllers for applications in drug delivery apparatus. Morphologies and controllers are encoded as compositional pattern-producing networks evolved by Neuroevolution of Augmented Topologies (NEAT) and in cooperative coevolution methodology, taking into account different collaboration methods. Four collaboration methods are studied: n best individuals, n worst individuals, n best and worst individuals, and n random individuals. As a performance baseline, the results from the implementation of Age-Fitness Pareto Optimisation (AFPO) are considered. The metrics used are the maximum displacement in upward bending and the robustness of the devices in terms of applying to the same evolved morphology a diverse set of controllers. Results suggest that the cooperative neuro coevolution approach can produce more suitable morphologies for the intended devices than AFPO.
title Designing morphologies of soft medical devices using cooperative neuro coevolution
topic Neural and Evolutionary Computing
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2506.03847