Alt-BEAM Archive
Message #00418
To: TurtleTek@aol.com
From: JVernonM@aol.com
Date: Mon, 15 Feb 1999 01:31:14 EST
Subject: [alt-beam] Re: question
In a message dated 2/14/99 11:57:14 PM Eastern Standard Time,
TurtleTek@aol.com writes:
> Well, as I see it, isn't the cybug BEAM? The meaning of
> BEAM is so very vague and I don't think it's much of a stretch to include
> the
> cybug under BEAM. Why not?
Mainly because it was developed by someone else, is not covered under the
Tilden patents and is not a BEAM concept. This is exactly what I mean. There
are many methods to achieve these creations and they are NOT all beam! The
turtles of the forties where not beam. Beam is not new, not all encompessing,
and not all falling under the rainbow colored umbrella of Tilden patents. It
is actually a very simple little bot that delivers some complicated behaviors.
It may be the perfect critter for hive colonies. Craig Maynard (the inventor)
has told me he has dabbled in that sort of research already. I figure for the
cost of one walker kit you could buy 4 cybugs with hunger boards, and add pred
and prey boards to all. Two preds. and two prey. Add a charging station and
you've got some fun going on. Or, buy a walker and watch it...walk. Maybe
change the bots from alternating between phototropisim and photophobisim
(yeah, it can do that) and make it alternate between 2 IR signals. Make one a
solar charging station, make the other a queen. Have them feed at the station
and charge a piggy back cap. When full they switch to the Queens signal and go
dump the charge into the queen, who is much larger and has more behaviors
(possibly cpu controlled, then they go low, switch back to the charging
frequency and the cycle continues. Imagine the possible symbiotic behaviors
you could come up with there. The tech is there, in kit form, ready to play
with. But, alas it is not beam, so it doesn't count. That is unless you call
it beam. Jeez!
> *chokes on drink, spitting it out all over the monitor* What?! Perhaps the
> reason you find so many faults in BEAM is that you don't quite grasp the
idea.
> We're not out to make a R2D2 or Lt. Data, nor do we expect to in the near
> future (or distant future). Right about now we have robots that are like
> protists and far from even being like any form of animal with a brain, let
> alone things even seeming like humans. This isn't a huge goverment funded
> robotics (AI) project such as Cog or Cyc, BEAM is a hobby based on the idea
> that robots should be autonomous and don't have to be complex. Just a hobby.
> Either I missed something or you haven't quite done your homework on BEAM.
> Neither one of those options are ones I find likely. I just find myself
saying
> to myself "eh..what is this guy thinking?"
Well, perhaps I am dense, or at least haven't done my homework, but I would
swear Tilden says his build up system IS a way to real world robots, not a
hobby. Hobbies are usually not funded by the US government.
> I guess so. Everyone has their own interpretation but I must say I find
yours
> a little far fetched..
I hope the guy who finally comes up with those real world designs isn't
listening to you. I think the tech is very close and possible. And I don't
find that many faults with beam actually, just the mindset of some of its
ministers.
> Hmm..I don't see "Human interaction" or "Sentience" up there.. I do,
however,
> see response to environment. Before we get into a robot that communicates
> with us we have to have it at least be able to "walk on sand dunes"! Again,
> this is a basic concept of BEAM. Another BEAM fundemental is the idea that
we
> can build robots out of stuff we find and/or can get easly. BEAM is not a
kit-
> based hobby. That seems to be another thing you fail to grasp.
Not a kit based hobby. Hmmm.. I wonder why so many are built at work shops
then. I guess I just don't grasp the idea of how important the kits are to
introducing people to beam freeforming in the first place. I guess I don't get
why finding that stuff so easily is really frustrating and expensive.
Sincerely,
Jim
------------------------------------------------------------------------
eGroup home: http://www.eGroups.com/list/alt-beam
Free Web-based e-mail groups by eGroups.com
Home