Alt-BEAM Archive
Message #02686
To: Jakub Pietracha whraven@free.com.pl
From: Craig Maynard cybug@home.com
Date: Tue, 27 Apr 1999 08:47:40 -0600
Subject: [alt-beam] Re: BEAM environment.
Creating a balanced robotic ecosytem, complete with robotic herbivores
and preditors is a very interesting pursuit! That's what I enjoy
experimenting with with my CYBUG's.
You can see some idea's at http://members.home.net/cybug
as well as the
schematic for the CYBUG. The best part of this robotic food chain is
that it supports higher energy levels in it's members than pure solar
can supply, which allows for more complex robots such as walkers. (
Just as in nature, the more advanced and energetic lifeforms are not
sustained directly from solar energy ).
I enjoy reading postings from BEAM'ers who have explored this avenue!
Craig
> Jakub Pietracha wrote:
>
> Last night I had a wision: a BEAM "plant" and BEAM bots feeding on it.
> The BEAM "plant" - something resambling the Green Thumb equiped with
> big solar cels and capacitors produces and stores power and diferent
> "species" of BEAM robos feed on it. Finding the plant is quite easily
> solvable (perhaps an IR LED on the "plant" and BEAM robots equiped
> with the instinct of IR-throphizm instead of photo-thropizm) but
> geting the power from the "plant" to the robot's is the problem. I
> thought of some kind of electrical contacts but the "plant" must serve
> several types of bots. Does anyone have any sugestions on solving the
> problem?
>
> The construction of the robot must be also modified:
> - it has to store more power (maby an acumulator instead of a
> capacitor, or radical cut on the power consumption);
> - it can't just stay near the plant and just feed (maybe some kind of
> explore and hunger instincts). The hunger instinct could be a voltage
> detector - when the voltage drops below some point the hunger instinct
> overrides the explore instinct.
>
> This type of environment could be an interesting place to observe.
> Just imagine a turbot cravling twards the plant and "kiling" other
> bots just to get "food".
>
> Jakub Pietracha
> whraven@free.com.pl
>
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