Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
Book cover

International Workshop on Motion in Games

MIG 2009: Motion in Games pp 219–230Cite as

Evolved Controllers for Simulated Locomotion

  • Conference paper

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNIP,volume 5884))

Abstract

We present a system for automatically evolving neural networks as physics-based locomotion controllers for humanoid characters. Our approach provides two key features: (a) the topology of the neural network controller gradually grows in size to allow increasingly complex behavior, and (b) the evolutionary process requires only the physical properties of the character model and a simple fitness function. No a priori knowledge of the appropriate cycles or patterns of motion is needed.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD   39.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD   54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Learn about institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  1. van de Panne, M., Kim, R., Fiume, E.: Virtual wind-up toys for animation. In: Proceedings of Graphics Interface 1994, Banff, Alberta, Canada, pp. 208–215 (1994)

    Google Scholar 

  2. Raibert, M.H., Hodgins, J.K.: Animation of dynamic legged locomotion. In: SIGGRAPH 1991: Proceedings of the 18th annual conference on Computer graphics and interactive techniques, pp. 349–358. ACM Press, New York (1991)

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  3. Hodgins, J.K., Wooten, W.L., Brogan, D.C., O’Brien, J.F.: Animating human athletics. In: SIGGRAPH 1995: Proceedings of the 22nd annual conference on Computer graphics and interactive techniques, pp. 71–78. ACM Press, New York (1995)

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  4. Faloutsos, P., van de Panne, M., Terzopoulos, D.: The virtual stuntman: dynamic characters with a repertoire of autonomous motor skills. Computers and Graphics 25(6), 933–953 (2001)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Yin, K., Loken, K., van de Panne, M.: Simbicon: Simple biped locomotion control. In: Proceedings of the 2007 SIGGRAPH conference, vol. 26. ACM, New York (2007)

    Google Scholar 

  6. da Silva, M., Abe, Y., Popović, J.: Interactive simulation of stylized human locomotion. In: International Conference on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques. ACM, New York (2008)

    Google Scholar 

  7. Shapiro, A., Chu, D., Allen, B., Faloutsos, P.: A dynamic controller toolkit. In: Sandbox 2007: Proceedings of the 2007 ACM SIGGRAPH Symposium on Video Games, pp. 15–20. ACM, New York (2007)

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  8. Witkin, A., Kass, M.: Spacetime constraints. Computer Graphics 22(4), 159–168 (1988)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Liu, C.K., Hertzmann, A., Popovic, Z.: Learning physics-based motion style with nonlinear inverse optimization. ACM Transactions on Graphics (TOG) 24(3), 1071–1081 (2005)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. van de Panne, M.: Sensor-actuator networks. In: SIGGRAPH 1993: Proceedings of the 20th annual conference on Computer graphics and interactive techniques, pp. 335–342. ACM Press, New York (1993)

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  11. Sims, K.: Evolving virtual creatures. In: SIGGRAPH 1994: Proceedings of the 21st annual conference on Computer graphics and interactive techniques, pp. 15–22. ACM Press, New York (1994)

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  12. Koza, J.: Genetic Programming: On the Programming of Computers by means of Natural Selection. MIT Press, Cambridge (1992)

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  13. Gritz, L.: Evolutionary Controller Synthesis for 3-D Character Animation. PhD thesis, George Washington University (1999)

    Google Scholar 

  14. Laszlo, J., van de Panne, M., Fiume, E.: Limit cycle control and its application to the animation of balancing and walking. In: Computer Graphics. Annual Conference Series, vol. 30, pp. 155–162 (1996)

    Google Scholar 

  15. Nolfi, S., Floreano, D.: Evolutionary Robotics. In: Intelligent Robots and Autonomous Agents. MIT Press, Cambridge (2000)

    Google Scholar 

  16. Reil, T., Husbands, P.: Evolution of central pattern generators for bipedal walking in a real-time physics environment. IEEE Trans. Evolutionary Computation 6(2), 159–168 (2002)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Reil, T., Massey, C.: Morpho-Functional Machines: The New Species: Designing Embodied Intelligence. Springer, Heidelberg (2003)

    Google Scholar 

  18. Golubitsky, M., Stewart, I., Buono, P.L., Collins, J.: Symmetry in locomotor central pattern generators and animal gaits. Nature 401, 693–695 (1999)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Yao, X.: Evolving artificial neural networks. Proceedings of the IEEE 87, 1423–1447 (1999)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Stanley, K.O., Miikkulainen, R.: Evolving neural networks through augmenting topologies. Evolutionary Computation 10(2), 99–127 (2002)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Paul, C.: Bilateral decoupling in the neural control of biped locomotion. In: Proc. 2nd International Symposium on Adaptive Motion of Animals and Machines (2003)

    Google Scholar 

  22. Paul, C.: Sensorimotor control of biped locomotion based on contact information. In: Proc. International Symposium on Intelligent Signal Processing and Robotics (2004)

    Google Scholar 

  23. McHale, G., Husbands, P.: From Animals to Animats 8. In: Proceedings of the 8th International Conference on Simulation of Adaptive Behavior. MIT Press, Cambridge (2005)

    Google Scholar 

  24. Vaughan, E.D., Paolo, E.D., Harvey, I.R.: The evolution of control and adaptation in a 3d powered passive dynamic walker. In: Proceedings of the 9th International Conference on the Simulation and Synthesis of Living Systems (Alife9). MIT Press, Cambridge (2004)

    Google Scholar 

  25. Stanley, K.: Efficient Evolution of Neural Networks Through Complexification. PhD thesis, University of Texas, Austin (2004)

    Google Scholar 

  26. Hornby, G.S., Pollack, J.B.: Creating high-level components with a generative representation for body-brain evolution. Artificial Life 8(3), 223–246 (2002)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Gruau, F.: Neural Network Synthesis using Cellular Encoding and the Genetic Algorithm. PhD thesis, Laboratoire de l’Informatique du Parallilisme, Ecole Normale Supirieure de Lyon, France (1994)

    Google Scholar 

  28. Hornby, G.S.: Shortcomings with tree-structured edge encodings for neural networks. In: Deb, K., et al. (eds.) GECCO 2004. LNCS, vol. 3103, pp. 495–506. Springer, Heidelberg (2004)

    Google Scholar 

  29. Stanley, K.O., Miikkulainen, R.: Competitive coevolution through evolutionary complexification. Journal of Artificial Intelligence Research (21), 63–100 (2004)

    Google Scholar 

  30. Department of Defense, U.S.o.A.: Anthropometry of U.S. Military Personnel (DOD-HDBK-743A). Department of Defense, United States of America (1991)

    Google Scholar 

  31. Bodenheimer, B., Shleyfman, A., Hodgins, J.: The effects of noise on the perception of animated human running. Computer Animation and Simulation (1999)

    Google Scholar 

  32. DJ, D.: Neuromuscular control system. IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering 3, 167–171 (1967)

    Google Scholar 

  33. Zordan, V.B., Majkowska, A., Chiu, B., Fast, M.: Dynamic response for motion capture animation. ACM Trans. Graph. 24(3), 697–701 (2005)

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of California, Los Angeles, CA, 90024, USA

    Brian F. Allen & Petros Faloutsos

Authors
  1. Brian F. Allen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Petros Faloutsos
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Games and Virtual Worlds Group, Universiteit Utrecht, PO Box 80.089, 3508TB, Utrecht, The Netherlands

    Arjan Egges

  2. Department of Information and Computing Sciences, Utrecht University, 3508, Utrecht, TA, The Netherlands

    Roland Geraerts

  3. Games and Virtual Worlds Gruop, Universiteit Utrecht, PO Box 80.089, 3508TB, Utrecht, The Netherlands

    Mark Overmars

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2009 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

About this paper

Cite this paper

Allen, B.F., Faloutsos, P. (2009). Evolved Controllers for Simulated Locomotion. In: Egges, A., Geraerts, R., Overmars, M. (eds) Motion in Games. MIG 2009. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 5884. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-10347-6_20

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-10347-6_20

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-10346-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-10347-6

  • eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation