Evolvable Hardware

Evolvable hardware (EHW) is based on the idea of combining a reconfigurable hardware device with genetic algorithms to execute reconfiguration autonomously. FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) and PLD (Programmable Logic Devices) are typical examples of reconfigurable hardware devices, for which there is already a market worth more than USD2 Billion US dollars and growing at 23 per cent per year. An example of EHW is NASA's Space Technology 5 nanosatellites, which are scheduled to start measuring Earth's magnetosphere in late 2004. They were designed by NASA engineers using genetic algorithms and 32 Linux PCs. The computers generated small antenna-constructing programs (the genotypes) and executed them to produce designs (the phenotypes). If deployed it will be the first piece of evolved hardware ever to be launched into space.