mician@usfvax2.EDU (Rudy Mician) (01/27/89)
I'm looking for some information on "light worshipers." From what I've heard,
they are small robots equipped with a light sensor. When placed in a room with
a light source in the center, some will move toward the light and then circle
around it at a fixed radius, some will spiral in towards the light, and (yet)
others will circle the light at a fixed radius and then suddenly rush towards
the light (knocking aside those robots that were in their path).
Do these robots use a learning algorithm? Do they increase their
sensitivity to light if they can't find a light source right away?
Any comments will be most appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
-me-bwk@mbunix.mitre.org (Barry W. Kort) (01/30/89)
In article <1222@usfvax2.EDU> mician@usfvax2.usf.edu.UUCP (Rudy Mician) writes: > I'm looking for some information on "light worshipers." As I recall, these were written up in A. K. Dewdeney's column in Scientific American a few years ago. Dewdeney may have an anthology of his columns out by now. (If not, most libraries will have bound volumes of Scientific American.) They are based on simple neural network circuits hooked up between photosensors and the drive wheel circuits. --Barry Kort
schraudo@beowulf.ucsd.edu (Nici Schraudolph) (01/31/89)
In article <1222@usfvax2.EDU> mician@usfvax2.usf.edu.UUCP (Rudy Mician) writes: >I'm looking for some information on "light worshipers." You want to look up Braitenberg's book "Vehicles - Experiments in Synthetic Psychology" (MIT Press 1984). He describes a series of hypothetical "vehicles" of increasing complexity ranging from the simplest sensor-motor system imaginable all the way up to Real Intelligence (TM). The "light worshippers" are instances of vehicle types 2-4 (out of 14). "Language is a Virus from Outer Space" - William S. Burroughs ##################################################################### # Nici Schraudolph nschraudolph@ucsd.edu # # University of California, San Diego ...!ucsd!nschraudolph # ##################################################################### Disclaimer: U.C. Regents and me share no common opinions whatsoever.
lishka@uwslh.UUCP (Fish-Guts) (02/01/89)
In article <44087@linus.UUCP> bwk@mbunix.mitre.org (Barry Kort) writes: >In article <1222@usfvax2.EDU> mician@usfvax2.usf.edu.UUCP >(Rudy Mician) writes: > > > I'm looking for some information on "light worshipers." > >As I recall, these were written up in A. K. Dewdeney's column >in Scientific American a few years ago. Dewdeney may have an >anthology of his columns out by now. (If not, most libraries >will have bound volumes of Scientific American.) > >They are based on simple neural network circuits hooked up >between photosensors and the drive wheel circuits. > >--Barry Kort Yes, Mr. Dewdney has a collection of past "Computer Recreations" columns out. The book is called _The_Armchair_Universe_. I have read most of it, and I *believe* that the column on the "light worshippers" is included, but I am not certain. Check your local bookstore for more information. BTW, the book is very good, IMHO. .oO Chris Oo.-- Christopher Lishka ...!{rutgers|ucbvax|...}!uwvax!uwslh!lishka Wisconsin State Lab of Hygiene lishka%uwslh.uucp@cs.wisc.edu Immunology Section (608)262-1617 lishka@uwslh.uucp "I'm not aware of too many things... I know what I know if you know what I mean" -- Edie Brickell & the New Bohemians