This paper: 1) reviews different combinations between ANN's and evolutionary algorithms (EA's), including using EA's to evolve ANN connection weights, architectures, learning rules, and input features; 2) discusses different search operators which have been used in various EA's; and 3) points out possible future research directions. It is shown, through a considerably large literature review, that combinations between ANN's and EA's can lead to significantly better intelligent systems than relying on ANN's or EA's alone

Abstract | In this paper we describe the evolution of a discrete-time recurrent neural network to control a real mobile robot. In all our experiments the evolutionary procedure is carried out entirely on the physical robot without human intervention. We showthat the autonomous development of a set of behaviors for locating a battery charger and periodically returning to it can be achieved by lifting constraints in the design of the robot/environment interactions that were employed in a preliminary experiment. The emergent homing behavior is based on the autonomous development ofaninternal neural topographic map (which is not pre-designed) that allows the robot to choose the appropriate trajectory as function of location and remaining energy.

This paper presents a new evolutionary system, i.e., EPNet, for evolving artificial neural networks (ANNs). The evolutionary algorithm used in EPNet is based on Fogel's evolutionary programming (EP) [1], [2], [3]. Unlike most previous studies on evolving ANNs, this paper puts its emphasis on evolving ANN's behaviours. This is one of the primary reasons why EP is adopted. Five mutation operators proposed in EPNet reflect such an emphasis on evolving behaviours. Close behavioural links between parents and their offspring are maintained by various mutations, such as partial training and node splitting. EPNet evolves ANN's architectures and connection weights (including biases 1 ) simultaneously in order to reduce the noise in fitness evaluation. The parsimony of evolved ANNs is encouraged by preferring node/connection deletion to addition. EPNet has been tested on a number of benchmark problems in machine learning and ANNs, such as the parity problem, the medical diagnosis problems (bre...

s: Jan. 1992 -- Dec. 1994 ffl CTI: Current Technology Index Jan./Feb. 1993 -- Jan./Feb. 1994 ffl DAI: Dissertation Abstracts International: Vol. 53 No. 1 -- Vol. 55 No. 4 (1994) ffl EEA: Electrical & Electronics Abstracts: Jan. 1991 -- Dec. 1994 ffl P: Index to Scientific & Technical Proceedings: Jan. 1986 -- Feb. 1995 (except Nov. 1994) ffl EI A: The Engineering Index Annual: 1987 -- 1992 ffl EI M: The Engineering Index Monthly: Jan. 1993 -- Dec. 1994 The following GA researchers have already kindly supplied their complete autobibliographies and/or proofread references to their papers: Dan Adler, Patrick Argos, Jarmo T. Alander, James E. Baker, Wolfgang Banzhaf, Ralf Bruns, I. L. Bukatova, Thomas Back, Yuval Davidor, Dipankar Dasgupta, Marco Dorigo, Bogdan Filipic, Terence C. Fogarty, David B. Fogel, Toshio Fukuda, Hugo de Garis, Robert C. Glen, David E. Goldberg, Martina Gorges-Schleuter, Jeffrey Horn, Aristides T. Hatjimihail, Mark J. Jakiela, Richard S. Judson, Akihiko Konaga...

In most modern video games, character behavior is scripted; no matter how many times the player exploits a weakness, that weakness is never repaired. Yet if game characters could learn through interacting with the player, behavior could improve as the game is played, keeping it interesting. This paper introduces the real-time NeuroEvolution of Augmenting Topologies (rtNEAT) method for evolving increasingly complex artificial neural networks in real time, as a game is being played. The rtNEAT method allows agents to change and improve during the game. In fact, rtNEAT makes possible an entirely new genre of video games in which the player trains a team of agents through a series of customized exercises. To demonstrate this concept, the NeuroEvolving Robotic Operatives (NERO) game was built based on rtNEAT. In NERO, the player trains a team of virtual robots for combat against other players ’ teams. This paper describes results from this novel application of machine learning, and demonstrates that rtNEAT makes possible video games like NERO where agents evolve and adapt in real time. In the future, rtNEAT may allow new kinds of educational and training applications through interactive and adapting games. 1

Neural networks and genetic algorithms are two relatively young research areas that were subject to a steadily growing interest during the past years. Both models are inspired by nature, but whereas neural networks are concerned with learning of an individual (phenotypic learning), evolutionary algorithms deal with a population's adaptation to a changing environment (genotypic learning). This paper focuses on the intersection of neural networks and evolutionary computation, namely on how evolutionary algorithms can be used to assist neural network design and training. The purpose of the paper is to set forth the general considerations that have to be made when designing an algorithm in this area and to give an overview on how researchers addressed these issues in the past.

The term Soft Computing (SC) represents the combination of emerging problem-solving technologies such as Fuzzy Logic (FL), Probabilistic Reasoning (PR), Neural Networks (NNs), and Genetic Algorithms (GAs). Each of these technologies provide us with complementary reasoning and searching methods to solve complex, real-world problems. After a brief description of each of these technologies, we will analyze some of their most useful combinations, such as the use of FL to control GAs and NNs parameters; the application of GAs to evolve NNs (topologies or weights) or to tune FL controllers; and the implementation of FL controllers as NNs tuned by backpropagation-type algorithms.

this paper is to present an optimization algorithm, comprising a multiobjective evolutionary algorithm and a gradient--based local search. In the rest of the paper, this is referred to as memetic Pareto artificial neural network (MPANN) algorithm for training ANNs. The evolutionary approach is used to simultaneously train the network and optimize its architecture. The result is a set of networks, with each network in the set attempts to optimize both the training error and the architecture. We also present a self--adaptive version with lower computational cost. We show empirically that the proposed method is capable of reducing the training time compared to gradient--based techniques

This paper presents an evolutionary artificial neural network approach based on the pareto differential evolution algorithm augmented with local search for the prediction of breast cancer.

Evolutionary Artificial Neural Networks (EANN) have been a focus of research in the areas of Evolutionary Algorithms (EA) and Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) for the last decade. In this paper, we present an EANN approach based on pareto multi-objective optimization and differential evolution augmented with local search. We call the approach Memetic Pareto Artificial Neural Networks (MPANN). We show empirically that MPANN is capable to overcome the slow training of traditional EANN with equivalent or better generalization.