Alt-BEAM Archive

Message #03201



To: beam@corp.sgi.com
From: Wouter Brok w.j.m.brok@stud.tue.nl
Date: Tue, 11 May 1999 22:20:35 +0200
Subject: [alt-beam] Inertial Rotation


Hello everybody,

Wow, I'm overwhelmed with the reactions on the idea I proposed. Of course
the concept of using inertia as a way to create motion was already known
for a long time and I didn't really expect to introduce something new
(actually I thought this was a concept that may have been tried as
satillite-positioning and maybe is actually used this way), but I guess I
did make up a new thing by coupling Nv-nets with inertia as a way to
position an object.
I agree with Wilf, after having read the messages, that it is possible to
distinguish two concepts of inertia related to BEAM:

- one that has been known to the members of this list for a while already;
the 'wobble' drive as Wilf called it, and
- the one that came up in me last sunday, which can be called (thank you
Wilf !!) 'inertial rotation'.
______________________________________________________________________________

The concept of 'inertial rotation' is: by means of a motor, with a weight
fixed to its axis, the object to which the motor is attached can be made to
rotate around the line set by the axis of the motor. Not only can the
object be made to rotate, it also can be stopped rotating around this
rotational axis by the same motor and in this way the object can be
positioned pointing with one side in a particular direction.
______________________________________________________________________________

My original figure illustrated this idea by a box, free to rotate around a
line set by a wire from which it hung under the ceiling (or whatever). The
box should rotate itself so that with one particular side it will point in
the direction of the highest light-intensity.

Of course instead of one rotational axis one can make something with two or
three rotational axes (Jeremy: with the object inside a sort of gyro) and
naturally it doesn't matter how the object is fixed (for example standing
on a low friction bearing like Wilf proposed to me) so that it is free to
rotate around one or more axes. Loads of varieties possible.

Thank you all for making me aware of the fact that the idea isn't 'useless'
as I thought it was.

I will construct the thing of my drawing with, of course, a bicore-circuit
(love those !!), to see how good the thing will be able to keep pointing at
a light-source, and how difficult it will be to tune it to be stable (not
overcompensating itself, etc.). I'll let you guys know what's happening.

Regards,

Wouter Brok.


PS: somehow I get the feeling that I actually am contributing to the list;
feels good !!



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