Evolvable hardware: using evolutionary computation to design and optimize hardware systems

Evolvable hardware lies at the intersection of evolutionary computation and physical design. Through the use of evolutionary computation methods, the field seeks to develop a variety of technologies that enable automatic design, adaptation, and reconfiguration of electrical and mechanical hardware systems in ways that outperform conventional techniques. This article surveys evolvable hardware with emphasis on some of the latest developments, many of which deliver performance exceeding traditional methods. As such, the field of evolvable hardware is just now starting to emerge from the research laboratory and into mainstream hardware applications.