Universal constructor to build a Tierran machine structure

Abstract

In constructing an artificial life system with a high potential for evolution, one of the elements that we should design most carefully is the machine structure, i.e., the architecture of the system controlling the operations of a digital creature. This article proposes an approach to modify the machine structure of Tierra in order to obtain higher evolvability. The structure of the Tierran digital creature that we propose is stimulated by the self-reproducing model proposed by von Neumann, which allows self-reproduction in a simple architecture. A verification of a digital creature’s structure was carried out through computer simulation. As a result, the capabilities of self-reproduction and parasitism were demonstrated.