Alt-BEAM Archive
Message #05219
To: beam@sgiblab.sgi.com
From: Steven Bolt sbolt@xs4all.nl
Date: Sat, 10 Jul 1999 11:02:44 +0200 (CEST)
Subject: [alt-beam] Re: Chaotic controllers (was Something funny with the 1382)
On Fri, 9 Jul 1999, Bob Shannon wrote:
> > Not intended as a `cheap shot', but that does sound a bit
> > Tildenesque. Nothing to do but wait for the details, and hope you
> > are on to something.
>
> No need to wait, I'm perfectly willing to discuss the details now.
Well, I'm sure that almost everyone on the list would like you to
post them.
> > Coherency is not the only and perhaps not the most important
> > problem of large Nv-like systems. Getting them to do something
> > useful, which can't be done cheaper and simpler in another way,
> > seems (to me) more difficult.
>
> Yes, I'm being told by a long-haired math expert that its not a
> solvable problem. A chaotic system with feedback to its
> environment forms an 'irreducable' system.
The systems, in other words, become one. As happens in nature.
There is a strong and deterministic connection between the
environment and behavior of animals and even humans. The usual
example is the ant - a relatively simple piece of biological
machinery, which follows something like a dozen fixed rules. Put it
in a simple environment - like a Robot Jurassic Parc - and what it
does looks no more intelligent, capable or complex than the
behaviour of today's robots. But look at what happens when you put
that ant in the `real' world! All of a sudden its actions acquire
purpose and meaning. Now where did that come from?
It's not supplied by the ant's brain. Purpose and meaning happen
because the ant and its environment evolved together, into a single
complex entity, which doesn't work when you take it apart.
So if you our current robot technology to do something interesting,
you will usually have to engineer the environment to match their
limited and different sensors - like was done with the Egg Hunt
Playground. Nothing to be ashamed of, though in future we'd like
robots to deal with the real world. And still predictably do
useful work.
> We will not design, nor evolve higher leveled controllers this
> way. Biological neurons get around this problem by having the
> ability to change their dendritic connections dynamically,
> something Nv's can never do.
Emulated Nv's can do just that, if I understood Terry's postings
correctly.
Best,
Steve
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# sbolt@xs4all.nl # Steven Bolt # popular science monthly KIJK #
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