Alt-BEAM Archive

Message #05110



To: beam@sgiblab.sgi.com
From: JVernonM@aol.com
Date: Thu, 8 Jul 1999 10:14:42 EDT
Subject: [alt-beam] Re: Task for walker?


In a message dated 7/8/99 9:47:09 AM Eastern Daylight Time,
addy_yeow@hotmail.com writes:

> so,there's nothing we can do with a 2-motor walker,except to see it
> walks...???or,is it just as a proof of concept(the 'Microcore')?
I guess you could call it a proof of concept. But, it goes no further. The
two motor design is only either walking forward or back. In one application,
it can turn by spinning it's front legs like a wheel. Aside from that it
can't do anything. In my opinion, and if you ignore the feedback argument,
it's just an electronic clock work. There have been much more elaborate
mechanisms that do some amazing things just from the stored energy of a
spring. I could build a wind up walker that functions better than the two
motor. As a matter of fact, you can get much more dramatic effects than
feedback using slip clutches and the like. In many ways these BEAM walkers
are simple clock works relying on batteries instead of mechanics. A
repetitive system is designed, in both cases, either out of gears or
transistors. The one thing BEAM has that makes it seem more adaptive is that
irregular oscillation thing. It allows the clock work to alter timing
slightly (which I still think could be done better through mechanical means,
the automatic transmission being a good example). The mechanical shifts are
predetermined and more precise for a given task. Whereas, the oscillators are
a hit and miss arrangement. Did anyone notice the long legged bots vibrating
around on Extreme Machines? Those things where simple wind up clock work toys
and they perform the same function as the vibro bots we all love. There is
also the mechanical obstacle avoidance system incorporated by Mr. Bolt on his
photovores. Simple, accurate solution to a problem usually done with more
parts electronically. If BEAM was really minimalist, we would have thrown out
the soldering iron long ago and bought some springs, the bots would perform
basically the same.
Jim

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