Evolutionary Theories in Manufacturing: Inspiration from Biology, Society, and Evolutionary Computing

Darwin's evolutionary theory of natural selection has had a strong impact on both science and culture, and has over the last decades become a popular inspiration in engineering sciences. Both the wide range of scientific areas where evolutionary theory is applied, and the simplistic metaphors used to explain evolution in schools and non-scientific situations have caused confusion of how key evolutionary concepts should be understood. In this paper, the cornerstones in biological and social evolutionary theory are identified and addressed from an engineering point of view. Previous efforts to apply evolutionary theories within engineering are then addressed and related to the needs and opportunities within manufacturing and assembly.