Alt-BEAM Archive

Message #02780



To: beam@corp.sgi.com
From: "John A. deVries II" zozzles@lanl.gov
Date: Thu, 29 Apr 1999 15:38:49 -0600
Subject: [alt-beam] Re: Free-forming (was: Contest (mailing robots in))


At 11:41 PM 4/28/99 , Benjamin Edward Hitchcock wrote:
> If we are to design robots that have half a chance of surviving
> in a small portion of the real world, they have to be halfway
> reliable.

Heavens! Do you mean it might end this rather bizarre emphasis
on exceedingly fragile free-formed electronics?

I've never understood the point of building a robot that has essentially
no chance of surviving being dropped. Perhaps the reduction in weight
makes some sort of important difference, but I honestly haven't seen
anyone come up with sufficient reason so as to eclipse durability.

I suppose people have forgotten Divine Feline Intervention...


Zoz

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John A. deVries II
zozzles@lanl.gov

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