Inproceedings,
Searching for the Impossible using Genetic Programming
Proceedings of the Genetic and Evolutionary Computation Conference, 2, page 1083--1091. Orlando, Florida, USA, Morgan Kaufmann, (13-17 July 1999)
Abstract
Many potential inventions are never discovered because
the thought processes of scientists and engineers are
channeled along well-traveled paths. In contrast, the
evolutionary process tends to opportunistically solve
problems without considering whether the evolved
solution comports with human preconceptions about
whether the goal is impossible. This paper demonstrates
how genetic programming can be used to automate the
process of exploring queries, conjectures, and
challenges concerning the existence of seemingly
impossible entities. The paper suggests a way by which
genetic programming can be used to automate the
invention process. We illustrate the concept using a
challenge posed by a leading analog electrical engineer
concerning whether it is possible to design a circuit
composed of only resistors and capacitors that delivers
a gain of greater than one. The paper contains a
circuit evolved by genetic programming that satisfies
the requirement of this challenge as well a related
more difficult challenge. The original challenge was
motivated by a circuit patented in 1956 for
preprocessing inputs to oscilloscopes. The paper also
contains an evolved circuit satisfying (and exceeding)
the original design requirements of the circuit
patented in 1956. This evolved circuit is another
example of a result produced by genetic programming
that is competitive with a human-produced result that
was considered to be creative and inventive at the time
it was first discovered.
