Researcher: Steve Grand (born 1958 - NOT the country singer, haha)
Quick notables:
- Self-taught computer scientist, according the NYT article on him. Works alone almost exclusively or with his wife.
- Creatures game, which is sort of an artificial life simulation where players raise and 'teach' virtual organisms kind of like pets. This game is/was very popular and looks pretty legit.
- Lucy the Android, a project in which Grand made a small robot to simulate a baby orang-utan (“Lucy”). He wrote a book on this subject, called “Growing up with Lucy”. Project sounds awesome, pictures of the robot are downright creepy, though (and not in a “cute robot” way - more of an Exorcism way)
- Sim-biosis, a simulation game where users can build alife from small units (think Legos). Code project is on SourceForge.
- Creation: Life and how to make it, book published in 2001
- Gave a TEDx talk entitled “What is the secret of consciousness?”. Date of talk currently not known.