Alt-BEAM Archive
Message #10209
To: beam@sgiblab.sgi.com
From: Max Inggal [mailto:tacoman101@yahoo.com]
Date: Mon, 14 Feb 2000 15:54:23 -0800
Subject: Re: On making a better RJP...
I made my RJP for around $10. all it is a 3'X 2' of
formica partical board with some 6" high walls around
it to help prevent the bots from escaping. It sits by
my window and I usually see the most activite around
12-3pm after that they are usually dormit.
Plus getting to the point of the color of teh walls in
mine they're just teh color of wood. But from the
pics I've seen of Mark Tildens RJP it seems he uses
all different colors. If you chck out teh pics of
them at SB you can see all of the different color
boxes in it.
One last thing about the guy who wanted to have a beam
bot drive a lamp. Why don't you use some timers? you
get 4 or so lamps and have one or two turn on every
few hours. This would be cool to watch the bots in
timelaps film run back and forth to the light.
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10210 Mon, 14 Feb 2000 19:12:43 -0500 [alt-beam] Re: On making a better RJP... beam@sgiblab.sgi.com "FCO Enr." greetings,
Actually I have been visiting your web cam every night and watching
the robots. Unfortunately I guess it's very difficult to notice movement=
from
one frame to another. I use an 800x600 resolution and I have to scroll down
a little to see the full image, when it refreshes it brings me back to the=
top
which makes scrolling down after every frame tedious. I was thinking you
could position the image at the top, so as to avoid this. Also, is it=
possible
to have 2 frames constantly on the screen, one new one and previous or
maybe even the 5th previous? So we could tell more easily what is happening
in time lapse?
As for the RJP, I happen to be an avid player or Warhammer 40,000,
which is a tabletop strategy game. People buy miniatures, paint them and=
modify
them and then fight atop a battlefield. Now one of the things most people=
do once
they get a nice little army together is create a wargame table, which is=
painted and
layed out in a very realistic manner to portray plant life, hills, cities,=
ruins etc..
I have a great book by entitled How To Make Wargames Terrain
ISBN: 1-872372-44-9
Using household items and very inexpensive materials you can make
some fabulous modular terrain pieces that is an entire hobby in itself=
really :)
Here's a link to a page that gives a LOT of online info on such terrain. Of=
course
you will be interested in more realistic and less apocalyptic terrain=
pieces :)
http://www.players-society.com/terragenesis/
A friend of mine is an engineer and he's got tons of spare parts and stuff
and I had asked him if it would be difficult to make an x-y moving light=
source,
something that could receive coordinate info and move the light source. I=
thought
of making a RJP that runs off a small software and would move the light=
source
in a slow but deliberate way. Imagine a web site with a java applet to=
control
light source and maybe even camery movement? eheh.
I've gone off the deep end.
Andy
fco@total.net
*********** REPLY SEPARATOR ***********
On 14/02/00, at 11:52 AM, Feser, Jason wrote:
>As most of you probably know by now, I've got a webcam running on=
BEAMLAND.
>Right now there is a symet and a 'beamant' style photovore playing around=
in
>a very small, very temporary RJP. You may notice while watching it that=
the
>photovore does not really circle the brightest point of light. The
>photovore seems to be attracted to the walls somewhat. I think that this=
is
>due to the semigloss paint on the metal case I'm using for the RJP. This
>sux. Anyway, I want to build a bigger playground so you guys can watch=
how
>a whole bunch of bots interact.
>
>To this end, I'd like to find out who has built a successful RJP - What
>materials are best used, what colours, type of lighting, size, type of
>obstacles etc...
>
>
>Let the debate begin....
10211 Mon, 14 Feb 2000 19:17:55 -0500 (EST) [alt-beam] Re: On making a better RJP... jfeser@ea.com "Mark W. Tilden"
Hi. Having set up may such parks, here's some advice.
Floor surfaces should be kitchen counter eggshell arborite, with beighe
insets and 8-inch black arborite "islands" scattered around the surface
in a sort of "golf green" fashion. It is important that the inside
floor colors be mostly white to avoid heat buildup that can warp the
table and damage the bots. The floor should be very smooth with care
taken so there are no cracks between arborite insets, not even around
the walls. The height of the park should be forty inches from the
floor with six inch high walls and a 1/4 inch thick sealed plexiglass
cover. On the sides of the case you should have equal areas of 1/4
plexiglass windows and steel grating to allow for airflow and sound
exchange. For best behavior, the inside walls should be painted flat
black (keeps bots from hugging the walls), and the obstacles a gloss
sky-blue (attracts bots but not overly so).
If you're using Daves standard photopoppers, then you must also put 4
inch high blue wedges in each corner to keep the robots from getting
stuck (the inside arena will then have octagon type sides). All wedges
and obstacles should be 4 inches high, very smooth, and held down by
silicon seal with NO cracks along the bottom to get antennae stuck in.
Arena obstacles should be round disks between 2 and 8 inches wide.
Four spread out randomly is usually enough.
Cycling halogen lights is annoying and reduces their lifetime
considerably. The best method we've found is to drop 200 watt clear,
non-frosted lights from the ceiling directly overhead using
conventional electrical cladding. The lights must be inside aluminum
lightshades and placed a minimum of 2 feet above the centerline of the
park so that parents can reach them but little kids can not. People
will realize that moving the lights affects behavior which will create
a similar effect to cycling. Use one 200 watt bulb placed equidistant
from each other for every 2 cubic meters of arena space.
If you can get it, a very light layer of fine white sand over the
cleaned surface will allow your bots to create tracks so that people
can see where they've been. Use six photopoppers for every two meters
of area, and modify them so that their eyes are at different angles up,
down, and sideways. Also give some robots the 5 volt solar cell
instead of the 3 volt normally used making them much faster. If
possible, paint the circuit boards of the different ones so that people
will notice their distinctiveness. Also, whatever you do, take great
care in the manufacture of the robots to insure their extended lifetime
in the park. Cover the antennae with teflon wire insulation to keep
them from getting caught in other robots and cracks.
It is very important you set up your arena so that the robots are
sealed but not accessible to visitors. We've lost many such robots due
to theft,
Thanks.
Mark W. Tilden,
Robotics Physicist
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