Alt-BEAM Archive

Message #02803



To: Ben Ridout RIDOUTGB@MuOhio.Edu
From: Steven Bolt sbolt@xs4all.nl
Date: Fri, 30 Apr 1999 11:24:25 +0200 (CEST)
Subject: [alt-beam] Re: Batteries...


On Thu, 29 Apr 1999, Ben Ridout wrote:

> > > This is the BEAM mailing list right? How would a battery powered
> > > bot fit into the BEAM ideology?
> >
> > About as well as Mark Tilden's famous Walkman, or the SolarBotics
> > Scoutwalker. Both are battery-powered, as is the majority of the
> > BEAM-tech walker experiments. I gather that you don't approve?
>
> No, I just thought all true BEAM bots should be solar powered. In the
> long term we want these bots to do something autonomously, right?

Autonomy does not depend on a `bot carrying solar panels. That
would limit robotic autonomy to a plant-like level. Instead, the
robot might know where to find its charger, which may or may not be
solar-powered. For inspiration, try Grey Walter's `Turtles':

Linkname: walter
URL: http://www.plazaearth.com/usr/gasperi/walter.htm

And numerous later `bots, like Craig Maynard's Cybugs:

Linkname: Welcome to CYBUG-SPACE
URL: http://members.home.net/cybug/

Or even one of my ancient `bots:

Linkname: My other robots
URL: http://www.xs4all.nl/~sbolt/e-andere_robots.html#willie

Enjoy,

Steve

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# sbolt@xs4all.nl # Steven Bolt # popular science monthly KIJK #
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