[ale] robots

[Jeff Hubbs]

Chris -

Thanks for the props, but I'm not actually going to DO this - just
something I've been thinking about as a mental exercise.  Getting a job
and finishing the projects I've already started are the order of the
day! :-)

For example, I'm working on rebuilding a 1970s Fender Rhodes electric
piano (if you're not familiar, think intro to "Dream Weaver" or the solo
in Peter Frampton's "Baby I Love Your Way") that I started on in
**1992**!!  There is a chance that it may be completely reassembled this
year.  No bets on whether it will be made playable this year! :-)

Anyway, back to the robots.  When I first saw Tilden on TV a few years
ago, I really felt that this guy had hit on something - that highly
elaborate, exquisitely sophisticated CPU-based robots were, for many
applications, a Bad Idea.  Whereas like you said, a Basic Stamp could be
used for my envisioned mowbot, the Tilden Way is to go analog.  In so
doing, you have a physically simpler device for a complex behavior.  You
take your sense inputs and your drive outputs and solder op amps,
transistors, resistors, and capacitors in between.  Your design work
consists of creating the mesh of components that give you the behavior
you want; you use voltages and currents to invoke or surpress behavioral
components.  Even with very little understanding of electronics, a
person could probably abstractly design a photovore on paper.

Just by way of illustration, your Basic Stamp will simply crash if the
available electrical power falls below a certain level.  An all-analog
bot will simply degrade - but the degradation will first show as a drop
in output power, not as a loss of function.  Depending on the design, it
may still go through its behavioral envelope properly at a fraction of
its nominal power.

- Jeff

On Fri, 2002-05-24 at 14:26, Christopher Bergeron wrote:
> Jeff, I'm all for your idea.  However, considering that if you have
> several of these units roam your yard constantly during the summer might
> it not be a better idea to just replace your yard/grass entirely with
> solar panels and give some juice back to your home?  :)
> 
> All jokes aside, I'd really like to be kept updated on your progress.
> This sounds very intriguing and it definitely sounds like a job for a
> Basic Stamp.
> 
> One thing to consider will be that you will have to have enough 'bots to
> cover your entire yard surface over the course of a week or two; lest
> you'll have "patches" in your yard that haven't been cut (I'm picturing
> a handful of _really_ long blades of grass every here and there)...
> 
> -CB
> 
> 
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: phardie [mailto:phardie] On Behalf Of Pete Hardie
> > Sent: Thursday, May 23, 2002 8:14 AM
> > To: ale at ale.org
> > Subject: Re: [ale] robots
> > 
> > Jeff Hubbs wrote:
> > >
> > > On Wed, 2002-05-22 at 16:38, Pete Hardie wrote:
> > > > I just remember that Cabbage Patch doll that was supposed to 'eat'
> > plastic
> > > > food, and it turned out to be possible to get a finger caught in
> the
> > > > mechanism.
> > >
> > > Well, what do you want to use, BIG FRICKIN' LASERS?? :-)
> > 
> > Flamethrowers.
> > 
> > 
> > > > Actually, getting the twigs out sounds like a great task for
> another
> > bot -
> > > > with a much simpler design, since it needs only rake and area, and
> > have a
> > > > 'home base' to rake the debris to.
> > >
> > > Well, but you're making a huge complexity jump.  The hypothetical
> mowing
> > > bot I'm talking about would not even really know anything about
> grass;
> > > it would just creep around and just sort of happen to be cutting
> grass.
> > > You're talking about matters of detection at a distance (home base)
> that
> > > can certainly be addressed, but only by upping the complexity a lot.
> > 
> > I wasn't thinking of anything too complex - the RakeBot just has an
> out
> > path
> > that is semi-random, and a return path to a beacon.  However, the
> power
> > budget
> > might need to be markedly greater to overcome the friction of debris.
> > 
> > 
> > --
> > Pete Hardie                   |   Goalie, DVSG Dart Team
> >     posting from, but not     |
> > 	speaking for:             |
> > Scientific Atlanta, Digital Video Services Group
> > 
> > 
> >      - - - - - - -  Appended by Scientific-Atlanta, Inc.  - - - - - -
> -
> > This e-mail and any attachments may contain information which is
> > confidential, proprietary, privileged or otherwise protected by law.
> The
> > information is solely intended for the named addressee (or a person
> > responsible for delivering it to the addressee). If you are not the
> > intended recipient of this message, you are not authorized to read,
> print,
> > retain, copy or disseminate this message or any part of it. If you
> have
> > received this e-mail in error, please notify the sender immediately by
> > return e-mail and delete it from your computer.
> > 
> > 
> > ---
> > This message has been sent through the ALE general discussion list.
> > See http://www.ale.org/mailing-lists.shtml for more info. Problems
> should
> > be
> > sent to listmaster at ale dot org.
> 
> 
> 
> ---
> This message has been sent through the ALE general discussion list.
> See http://www.ale.org/mailing-lists.shtml for more info. Problems should be 
> sent to listmaster at ale dot org.
> 



---
This message has been sent through the ALE general discussion list.
See http://www.ale.org/mailing-lists.shtml for more info. Problems should be 
sent to listmaster at ale dot org.