Alt-BEAM Archive
Message #07214
To: beam@sgiblab.sgi.com
From: JVernonM@aol.com
Date: Sun, 31 Oct 1999 10:24:05 EST
Subject: [alt-beam] Re: aquabot
In a message dated 10/31/99 9:42:11 AM Eastern Standard Time, jlz@novia.net
writes:
> Maybe something altogether other than water?
> Mineral oil, Antifreeze, Alcohol...?
> They'd all have different effects/problems.
>
I suppose you could make a small, contained, system that would house an
Aquabot like a lavalamp. Alcohol sounds like a good candidate. Oils would be
to thick I would think. How do they keep the water clear in snow globes?
Actually, I have been researching two different approaches to Aquabot
habitats. One idea is the artificial habitat. Many of us have BEAM parks at
home (I'm sorry, I just can't use the word Jurassic. RJP is a common term,
but it always makes me think of 12 year old boys clamoring for dinosaur
imprinted bed sheets. BEAM park or BEAM robotic park are much more
descriptive, accurate, and less of a Spielberg rip off). What is missing from
our BEAM habitats is an aquatic section. The aquarium is perfect for this.
Much has already been done to make aquariums a viable hobby, so there is a
mountain of junk out there to adapt to our needs. And, I must admit, I have
been in love with the idea of artificial water beasties ever since I was 12
years old and clamoring for those Super Friends bed sheets.
The second area of research is the open, or not so open, waters of the world.
One of the underlying principles of BEAM tech is the wild, living machine. If
you look around you will find that after 10 years, there still isn't a robot
that qualifies. Not even close. Nature started life in the water, perhaps we
should do likewise. If you get a bot to work in an indoor BEAM park, it is
still a far cry from working out in the yard, let alone the woods or
whatever. But, an Aquabot that works in an aquarium could lead to a bot that
works in an outdoor fish pond. That may lead to a fresh water, wild, living
machine. The thing is that water is water. Once you overcome the problems,
your creation will work no matter where that water is. This seems a very
viable approach to me. Much easier than trying to get a BEAMant or any other
bot we now work with to survive outside of that cozy little box with walls.
Just food for thought on a topic that is sanctioned and approved by the
censors.
See ya,
Jim
http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Exhibit/8281/beamart.html
7215 Sun, 31 Oct 1999 08:29:32 -0700 Craig's chloroplast SE Jason -
> Hie all...i would like to know if anyone knows the webpage address to
craig
> maynard chloroplast SE tech page...cause i recently just received them
from
> craig..thanks a lot craig those small black PCB are really cool stuff for
my
> bot collection....
>
> ______________________________________________________
>
7216 Sun, 31 Oct 1999 10:30:31 EST [alt-beam] Re: Micro Motors, Skitters, and BeetleBots beam@sgiblab.sgi.com JVernonM@aol.com In a message dated 10/31/99 9:48:17 AM Eastern Standard Time,
bshannon@tiac.net writes:
>
> I guess that BEAM is being restricted to a personal use hobby, and a wall
of
> misinformation (and now silence) is being placed between the list readers
> and
> any thoughts of commerical use by anyone outside the inner circle. Its
not
> to
> be spoken of here eh?
>
> This strikes me as the most anti-evolutionary approach the list could take.
> This does nothing but enforce the perception of an exclusive 'BEAM elite',
> and
> add to the misinformation this list has already spread on the subject.
>
HERE, HERE! There is that guy that can hit the proverbial nail square on it's
perfectly flat head! You are going to get a personal slap on the knuckles in
your e-mail box from the topic patrol.
See ya,
Jim
http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Exhibit/8281/beamart.html
7217 Sun, 31 Oct 1999 10:38:30 EST [alt-beam] Re: Craig's chloroplast SE beam@sgiblab.sgi.com JVernonM@aol.com In a message dated 10/31/99 10:29:00 AM Eastern Standard Time, cybug@home.net
writes:
> "OK, from FLED to 1381, that was a step... but from 1381 to chloroplast,
> it's a whole new world. I build another little guy last night, and forget
> the heat-shrink tubing on motor axles, i put full-on wheels onto the motors
> - that engine has some serious torque! From speed NEVER being an issue,
to
> keeping the hysterisis down, because my guy does a 180 on every burst, it's
> never been so exciting."
>
YEP! Very interesting engine. It is nice to have something with a little
power to it. I was just wondering, what would happen if you hooked up the
chloroplasts in a chain, each feeding the next. Would you have a "neuron"
like deal going that can hold a charge along it's system like memory? This
just popped into the void between my ears and I haven't thought it through.
Anyone have any ideas?
See ya,
Jim
http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Exhibit/8281/beamart.html
7218 Sun, 31 Oct 99 09:23:54 -0700 [alt-beam] Re: aquabot Ian Bernstein Hi
>What if I put distilled water in the graduated cylinder and a thin layer of
>oil on the top. Thus no bacteria and no evaporation or contamination, yet
>light still gets in.
I guess if you did it right it would work but from my experiece, oil and
water = big mess. Good idea.
laterz
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