Evolution-in-materio: A frequency classifier using materials

Abstract

Evolution-in-materio (EIM) is a method that uses artificial evolution to exploit properties of materials to solve computational problems without requiring a detailed understanding of such properties. In this paper, we describe experiments using a purpose-built EIM platform called Mecobo to classify whether an applied square wave signal is above or below a user-defined threshold. This is the first demonstration that electrical configurations of materials (carbon nanotubes and a polymer) can be evolved to act as frequency classifiers.