4 BEAM ROBOTICS: The International Robot Games, May 4-7, 1995, Glorieta Conference Center, Santa Fe, NM
Los Alamos, New Mexico: BEAM Robot Games / Mark W. Tilden, December 1994. Version 4.0 - Massively updated. Spiral bound. The event rules and general guidelines for this series of technological competitions for robot enthusiasts, which was sponsored by the Los Alamos National Laboratory. Accompanied by a poster advertising the event. Quarto: [iv], 115, [1] pp. with illustrations throughout. Spiral bound in glossy paper wrappers. Some mild edgewear; else a clean example. Scarce, OCLC locates only one holding: Pittsburg State University (Kansas).
The word "beam" in BEAM robotics is an acronym for Biology, Electronics, Aesthetics, and Mechanics. This is a term that refers to a style of robotics that primarily uses simple analog circuits instead of a microprocessor in order to produce an unusually simple design (in comparison to traditional mobile robots) that trades flexibility for robustness and efficiency in performing the task for which it was designed.
According to Mark W. Tilden, who is considered the father of BEAM robotics, "the science behind the idea stems from current concepts in artificial intelligence (AI), artificial life (ALife), evolutionary biology, and genetic algorithms. It seems that building large complex robots hasn't worked well, so why not try to evolve them from a lesser to a greater ability as mother nature has done with biologics? The problem is that such a concept requires self-reproducing robots which won't be possible to build (if at all) for years to come. A solution, however, is to view a human being as a robot's way of making another robot, to have an annual venue where experimenters can let their creations interact in real situations, and then watch as machine evolution occurs. In other words, robogenetics through robobiologics.”. Very good. Item #78403
Price: $250.00