Alt-BEAM Archive
Message #00442
To: TurtleTek@aol.com, beam@corp.sgi.com
From: Sharon swilliam@cadvision.com
Date: Mon, 15 Feb 1999 12:08:05 -0800
Subject: [alt-beam] Re: question
What I think of BEAM as, is a bot composed of neurons. A SE is really just
a single neuron that pases on a pulse, a photovore is 2 neurons conected
together. then walkers are made of multiple neurons. There is great
potential in these simple neurons, (the brain is composed of neurons)
imagine if you found a single inverter chip, you could then make a small
board (cell) containing one type of neuron (Nv/Nu) with sockets on the
edges, these boards could be assembled in open and closed hexagonal loops
around a core containing drivers etc. this way it would be easily modified,
and desighned. you could create multiple behaviors this way, as easily as
building with LEGO. you could even put a small PD on each board to power
it, and when in a loop, or string all the individual boards would combine
their power. This would not be unlike chloroplasts in a plant cell.
just my theology,
-Jeremy Williams
PS. I think this is what Mark Tilden could of been getting at when he built
the hextile.
At 11:54 PM 2/14/99 EST, TurtleTek@aol.com wrote:
>Greetings List,
>
>After reading the "question" thread (which I find very interesting, more on
>that later), I've noticed many mentions of the "cybug". Most of these
>mentions have been comparing the cybug to the photovore. Sort of
"conventional
>robots vs BEAM". 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?
>It's not solar powered? So what, most walkers aren't.
>"But walkers have nv nets", you say. Big deal.
>"Cybugs aren't self-sufficiant". Neither are walkers, they need their cell
>charged every now and then.
>
>Cybugs don't use programming or a CPU. They can "feed" themselves. So, unless
>the requirements for being BEAM are as follows:
>Must be solar powered, if not then must use nv net.
>Then we can just go ahead and slap a BEAM lable on the cybug too, no? Any
>thoughts on this are welcome.
>
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