Viktor Zykov (one of Hod's grad students) did something like this in 2006 [1][2]. He built a "starfish" then had it learn its own shape through experimentation, then evolve a way to move.

[1] Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msw267lisow [2] Info: http://creativemachines.cornell.edu/emergent_self_models