Alt-BEAM Archive

Message #10601



To: beam@sgiblab.sgi.com
From: "FCO Enr." fco@total.net
Date: Mon, 21 Feb 2000 22:28:31 -0500
Subject: [alt-beam] Re: BEAM: Tendency toward miniaturization


Greetings Thomas,

I adore my little photopopper, I think it is impressive
to see just how it does react to it's environment sometimes.
I even wondered if my bot was avoiding my socks on the floor
by pure instinct for awhile or if it had some sort of geiger
counter installed that I didn't know about :)

But I read "Living Machines" as well as read
about everyone experimenting and creating all these great
bots and I wonder why RJPs seem to be designed around
what the bot can handle instead of the opposite!

I like to think that BEAM is capable of so much
and here I am building a wheeled robot that can handle
a flat surface (and survive close encounters with my
socks!).

I didn't mean to sound all knowing and cast a
judgement on Photovores, on the contrary it urges my
mind towards higher goals.

Andy
fco@total.net

On 22/02/00, at 12:22 AM, Thomas Pilgaard wrote:

>I am a bit pussled by your frequent use of the word "just". I still tend=
to
>be amazed at what a photopopper is capable of doing in regard to its
>relative simplicity. In comparison to say a 4 or 5 motor walker it may=
seem
>to be simpler in construction. However, it is placed in a complex
>environment, which is reflected in its behaviour thus resulting in very
>complex emergent behavioural patterns.
>
>For instance, it is not part of the photopopper to avoid obstacles.=
However
>I have observed that my photopopper tends to avoid obstacles in that the
>shadows an object casts on the floor often makes the popper attempt to=
make
>it's way around it (though admittedly the object has to have a certain
>height for it to work).
>
>Surely it has it's limitations, but I wouldn't regard it as "just" a light
>seeking analog robot.
>
>Cheers,
>
>Thomas
>
>> But I built my first little photovore (freeform Chiu style)
>> and I think that's the only such robot I'll ever build. It doesn't
>> display any of the characteristics that the microcore walker
>> should have. The photovore to me is just an introduction to
>> building a solarengine, it is just an analog robot which seeks
>> light. But it basically has wheels (heatshrink tubing for very low
>> diameter wheels) and therefore it has all the limitations of a wheeled
>> vehicle multiplied by it's small size and all you have a robot that's
>> great for super smoothe surfaces. That's it, that's all.
>>



10602 Tue, 22 Feb 2000 16:23:20 +1300 [alt-beam] Batteries "Seamus Allan" Hello to all...

I just got given the inside of a Startak cellphone (I was looking for the
vibrtor motor), when I found the battery. It is a 3.6V Lithium Ion
Rechargeable battery. I am unsure of its current capacity, and was wondering
if it would be any good for anything, and if so, can I charge it in the same
way as a NiCd or NiMH???

Any help would be appreciated,

Seamus Allan

seamus_allan@inet.net.nz


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