Alt-BEAM Archive

Message #03097



To: rix.g@bmts.com, whraven@free.com.pl
From: TurtleTek@aol.com
Date: Sat, 8 May 1999 18:03:06 EDT
Subject: [alt-beam] Re: BEAM environment.


4/26/99 2:25:29 AM, rix.g@bmts.com writes:

> 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?

Greetings,

The electrical contacts would be not be such a complicated matter. Actually,=20
during class a several days ago I dreamed up an electrical contact design fo=
r=20
a bot-plant creature.=20
It does something like this:
The plant would be a stalk supporting several solar cells. On the base of=20
this stalk there would be IR emitters (or something...) to attract=20
power-hungry bots. Well, all around the bottom of the stalk there would be a=
n=20
electrical contact. About 12 cm up the stalk there'd be another electrical=20
contact. These contacts would be sheets of metal going out about 10 cm from=20
the stalk.=20
The bot would be a bot with some instincts to guide it to the plant when it=20
needs to. Whatever, I don't have any ideas for that, just the contacts.=20
Anyway, the contacts would be two springy wires (like on the photopopper).=20
One wire would be longer, about 14 cm (long enough to read the top contact o=
n=20
the plant), and be mounted on the top of the bot. The other wire would be=20
shorter and mounted on the bottom of the bot. It would just be long enough t=
o=20
reach the bottom contact on the plant.=20

If this isn't clear, check out this little sketch I came up with while=20
daydreaming in class:
http://www.extremesc.com/turtletek/image/plantsketch.jpg

Excuse any sloppy writing or messy drawings, it's just a sketch and it beats=20
ASCII.
__________________________________
-Brien "TurtleTek" S. Mart=EDnez

Email:=09turtletek@aol.com
URL:=09www.extremesc.com/turtletek

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