Alt-BEAM Archive
Message #12902
To: beam@sgiblab.sgi.com
From: Meabadboy@aol.com
Date: Sat, 1 Apr 2000 21:52:12 -0800
Subject: Ideas................. was --- Re: Biped
> In a message dated 3/31/2000 10:37:44 PM Eastern Standard Time,
> SkavenArmy@cs.com writes:
>
> << you experienced beamers are really into killing ideas , areant you????
> j/k,but DAMN! lay off a little........
>
> jayz >>
>
>
> Don't let them get you down dude ~ who said you have to make a "BUG"
anyway
> to work with BEAM circuitry ??? ~ there are several animals that in real
life
> can at times walk on two legs ~ not to mention the creatures that lived
100
> million years ago ~ I thought that the "B" in beam had something to do
with
> biological????? ~ bugs are only a portion of what creatures that exist on
> earth and are Biological.
>
> Not to mention what wild creations of the "Alien" nature one can dream of.
>
> Not only that ~ I am into christmas a lot and have been playing (crude
> scetches only at this time) with the idea of making a small elf scene
> something like santa's workshop useing the simple RC timing circuits in
leu
> of microprocessors.
>
> Ever sence I first looked at one of Wilf's drawings ~ several applications
> have popped into my wandering mind ~ most have noting to do at all with
> robotics or BEAM.
>
> But your idea of a biped walker is one I am playing with currently and
have
> been for about a two months now ~ just having trouble getting it to stay
> upright for more then 3 steps ~ I think it is in my timing (its hard to
get 6
> motors to work in the right sequence) using the simple RC networks I see
in
> BEAM circuitry ~ and maybe a little too much AL in my construction up top
~
> may be a little too top heavy ??? ~ I have spent a lot of time and $$ now
on
> this project and I am bound in determined to make this silly thing go
further
> then 3 to 5 inches before it topples over.
>
> or ill use it on the 4th of July for a cherry bomb holder ~ lol
>
> There are several web sites on the net with great ideas for leg motion
> (mostly large universities) and for making a walking robot with 2 legs ~
mine
> is currently a combination of misc. parts and pieces from another bot I
did
> in school ~ and some pieces of AL from work ~ and a modification of
several
> BEAM circuits ~ plus a little bit of other digital discrete circuits (2
GAL
> chips I had to program to make it all come togeather)
>
> It's made of 6 motors ~ 2 (one for each knee - screw joint) ~ 2 (one for
each
> pelvic/hip joint ~ cam action) and 2 more to try to keep it up right by
> changing the balance at the waste (forward and back ~ side to side) ~ I
tried
> to keep it proportional to the human body ~ it is approx. 12 inches tall
and
> approx. 3 inches wide ~ big mistake for my first attempt ~ I think I bit
off
> more then I can chew ~ lol
>
> Thats why the recient redesign from 4 motors (leg moton) by adding the 2
> motors at the waste useing 4 mercury switches canabilized from old
> thermostats for balance switches ~ but i also think my mercury switches
may
> be the main problem to the balance problem I am having ~ they are too
> "nosensitive" ~ I am thinking of a redesign on those with more then one
> contact inside the glass tube ~ maybe 2 each made in a "U" shape to work
sim.
> to that of a artificial horizan on an aircraft ~ or an cup design with
> several pads on the bottom of the cup that a ball of Mercury will ride on
~
> but I am having a hard time getting the circuits worked out useing only
BEAM
> type circuits with that idea without a microprocessor ~ too many varibles
(8
> valuse on a truth table or more) ~ not to mention just walking on a flat
> surface (which is my first step) ~ I would like this to be able to
navagate
> up a set of steps, ect. ~ but all BEAM circuits without a microprocessor
???
> ~ who knows ~ the plot thickens with each day ~ and each thing I'dd like
this
> critter of mine to do ~ LoL
>
> I am also new to the BEAM idea/approach to robotics ~ but not to
electronics
> in general.
>
> keep going at it though ~ there is no silly idea if you can make it work ~
> its only silly if you spend all your time and $$ and it never works ~ I am
> begining to think my walking bot may be silly ~ lol ~ but if I can help ya
~
> write to me and I'll share the ideas I have cannibalized/stole from the
net ~
> LoL
>
> sorry no pics yet to share ~ but will definatly if I can get him/her to
walk
> for more then 3 steps
>
> Steve
>
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