The study revolves around an artificial society of real robots which are programmed to exhibit different types of primitive behaviours. Robots will then be able to copy each others behaviours. Particular ones may mutate because of the noise and uncertainty in the robots’ sensors and actuators and those that are successfully copied will continue to be copied, selected, and varied by members of the population in multiple cycles.

The study will include two phases: one where trials will be carried out in real time and another where a genetic algorithm (GA) will be run. The purpose of running the GA will be to simulate the process of evolution by allowing emerging behaviours to become hard wired into the robot’s controllers.

Over the course of the trials, researchers hope that new behaviours will begin to arise and that some may be considered indicators of a sort of pre-culture. Naturally, they don’t expect these behaviours to have much meaning in the context of human cultures, but it will provide a way for researchers to identify and interpret these patterns of behaviour within the closed context of the artificial society: ¨In a sense we will be using robots like a microscope to study the evolution of culture,”explains Alan Winfield, Engineer and Roboticist at the  University of the West of England.

South Korea’s  got robots covered; from classrooms to the Northern border, the nation’s using robots to support humans just about anywhere.   But their robots aren’t all work and no play; Robot Land’s creators aim to foster ¨robot culture¨ bringing its visitors
¨fun and fantasy with robots¨.

Stationed in the municipality of Incheon, the theme park lies minutes away from an international airport and about 30 km from Seoul, the country’s massive capital city. Plans to develop the theme park have been in progress since 2007 and it is  estimated to attract about 3 million visitors a year upon its completion in 2014.

What kinds of wonders await the future patrons of Robot Land? Everything from aquariums, roller coasters and water parks to a robot food court where robots act as waiters and cashiers. Nevertheless, Robot Land is about more than just robot-themed entertainment. Including both a museum and a robotics research centre, Robot Land’s creators aim to educate the public about robotics while promoting it as an industry.