Alt-BEAM Archive
Message #05181
To: beam@sgiblab.sgi.com
From: Steven Bolt sbolt@xs4all.nl
Date: Fri, 9 Jul 1999 11:46:07 +0200 (CEST)
Subject: [alt-beam] Advantages of `wild' robots (was: What does purposeful mean)
On Thu, 8 Jul 1999 JVernonM@aol.com wrote:
> I still don't see the purpose if it can be done easier with a
> waldo. As usual, the use must be exaggerated to make it fit a
> BEAM bot, again, no real purpose, just an excuse to facilitate
> hopes. None of which has the slightest thing to do with robotic
> applications. It is not our place to reason why, it is BEAM or
> die.
`Wildness isn't meant to be fancy or mysterious. It is an enabling
level of technology.
Most present robots require a very specific environment to work in.
Part of BEAM is about extending the usefulness of `bots by making
them capable of dealing with real world environments, like a house
in normal use, an average garden, or even an average city.
Suppose you would try to design a robot to vacuum your floors using
present tech. You'll end up with a device which needs its floors
prepared; no loose magazines and junk lying around, or the `bot is
likely to get stuck. Furnature may need to be adapted. You'll
certainly have to manually start and stop the bot, and make sure that
nobody uses the room while it is busy. It's dustbag will need
replacing. You'll have to charge it. In short, you will be doing
plenty of work for your `bot.
In contrast, you wouldn't even be aware of the hypothetical `wild'
cleanerbot. It would keep track of your comings and goings, and
adapt to your habits, cleaning when you're not around. It would get
rid of the dirt in such a way as to not cause you extra work. It
would take care of its own energy needs. It would certainly not get
stuck.
This `wildness' is far more difficult to achieve than the specific
task of cleaning a floor. But once a `bot is really able to live
with us in our normal environments, it should be fairly easy to
make it perform various other tasks. So there is a point in going
for `wildness' first.
Not really flame bait, is it?
Steve
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# sbolt@xs4all.nl # Steven Bolt # popular science monthly KIJK #
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