Design by Evolution
The processes of random mutation and natural selection that Charles Darwin discovered in mid 19th century are becoming a new factor in product design, as the NewScientistTech and the Economist report.
Evolutionary algorithms (EA) can simulate mutation and selection in order to find the fittest version of a molecule for a medicament or an optimal streamline form for the wing of a plane. The technique has already been applied in the aerospace or car indstry during the sixties. But nowadays, faster PCs enable EA to be used for a much broader spectrum of products.
EA is an interesting and powerful approach to refine products. It will not substitute human intuition and creativity though.
