| At a glance, Robosapien looks great versus the old | | | | Needing to find a lighter-minded group of people from |
| school box on wheels with clear dome head. 'Ooh,' you | | | | his government and NASA days, Tilden decided to go |
| say, looks kinda like a muscled storm trooper and the | | | | and join a toy company. Who better than one |
| fart button now that's a hoot. We nod in polite | | | | audacious enough to self proclaim themselves, Wow |
| agreement, but behind your back, we snicker at your | | | | Wee! It was a great match, and they gleefully began |
| total lack of appreciation of the advanced robotic | | | | working on toy dinosaurs and bugs based on Tilden's |
| theory involved. | | | | now renowned expertise. |
| Robosapien is a modern day turning point in the | | | | Then came the master project that one could fairly |
| evolution of robotics and is the first-ever robot based | | | | say would change the landscape of robotics |
| on the science of applied biomorphic robotics. (That's | | | | altogether. FartDude, later named Robosapien after |
| what you should have been telling friends and family all | | | | initial market testing, was to be the culmination of |
| this time rather than pointing out amusing cat-chasing | | | | Tilden's work, finally bringing to bear a humanoid |
| ability.) Biomorphic robotics stems from Mark Tilden's | | | | (sapien-like, if you will) robot capable of an impressive |
| innovative new concepts in BEAM technology. | | | | list of moves and rude sounds. |
| A New Philosophy for Robot Kind BEAM is an | | | | In Robosapien, you see the basics of BEAM |
| acronym for Biology, Electronics, Aesthetics and | | | | philosophy and technological research. It follows the B |
| Mechanics. Dr. Mark W. Tilden founded this relatively | | | | as a biomorphic rendition of humans, E for the fact you |
| new branch of robotic sciences in 1989, based on the | | | | can't throw it in a bathtub, A because it's stylin the |
| premise that behavioral-rich robots need not be the | | | | latest magazine covers, and one heck of a lot of M |
| wickedly complex projects reserved only for | | | | going into the robo dancing capability. |
| well-funded labs and cartoon villains. | | | | That's Mr. Sapien |
| Put another way, traditional approaches to creating | | | | Like no robot ever before, the Robosapien is |
| robots have started with creating a sophisticated brain | | | | affordable to the unwashed masses. The Robosapien |
| to maneuver the mechanics of the body. Though not | | | | is a crowning accomplishment when it comes to |
| discounting the incredible engineering feats of robots | | | | mobility, power consumption, programmability, and |
| built this way, most notably the Sony Qrio and Honda | | | | maybe most importantly: hackability. |
| Asimo, Mark Tilden strongly contends that this is the | | | | Each arm has full 360 motion ability allowed by the, |
| wrong approach to take. | | | | ahem, biomorphic shoulder joints and flexible elbows. |
| It's like trying to emulate a human when modern | | | | Ending in three articulated fingers, Robosapien is |
| technology and research can't realistically copy a bug | | | | capable of picking up, gripping, and throwing objects. |
| from your garden. "[It's] an evolutionary dead end," | | | | The genuine full walking motion (most robots don't |
| says Tilden. BEAM robotics is about taking the | | | | genuinely walk outside a lab) is made possible design |
| bottom-up approach, to start from mastering the | | | | of the large feet and well placed sensors. |
| simple bug and moving up from there. | | | | And do you know how much power it usually takes to |
| Rather than attempt to create a centralized robo-brain | | | | run a robot Fuggedabowdit. Regular robots are |
| to process every variable input and spit out a decision | | | | dishonorable little battery-eaters always hungry for |
| (much, much harder than you may think), why not use | | | | more, more, more! And who's going to pay for these |
| a system known as "subsumption architecture.'' | | | | batteries, hmmm' Well Robosapien brings no shame to |
| Subsumption architecture is a clever technique where | | | | itself when consuming power, essentially due to the |
| the actions of a robot are managed in layers, each | | | | astounding mechanical physics. It runs a full 6 to 10 |
| layer controlling one facet of the robot's operation. | | | | hours on just one set of batteries. In fact, if you move |
| For example, a low-level layer could be 'Walk Forward,' | | | | Robosapien's arm you'll actually generate power for it! |
| which the robot will happily do until it bumps into | | | | Hey man, that's shrewd. |
| something. At this point, the slightly higher level 'Lift Leg | | | | For those of you who want a robot that will fetch you |
| Higher' kicks in, overriding the 'Walk Forward' layer until | | | | a frosty one from the kitchen, you lazy bums will just |
| the robot successfully climbs over the obstacle, at | | | | have to wait until later versions. But you can program |
| which point 'Lift Leg Higher' stops, and the low-level | | | | your Robosapien to do some pretty cools things in the |
| 'Walk Forward' takes over again. * | | | | meantime, like wander around taking swings at things, |
| Egocentric Bugs | | | | guarding your bedroom while you sleep, and a hilarious |
| So Tilden began building robot bugs on this principle, | | | | game of 'pull my finger'. Try teaching your dog that |
| and more selfish creatures they could not have been. | | | | trick smart guy. |
| Why's that? Well Tilden decided that Asimov's famous | | | | So what's so hot about the hackability, and is that |
| Three Laws of Robotics: | | | | even a word you ask? You've got some nerve. Tilden |
| 1. No hurt human. | | | | went through some serious, serious effort to be sure |
| 2. Listen to human unless told 'Do hurt human'. | | | | that robot enthusiasts could take apart the robot, as he |
| 3. Try to live with that.were antiquated notions that left | | | | would have done as a child, and tinker with |
| no room for a good practical joke at parties. | | | | modifications. Everything's color-coded in there to |
| So one dark and stormy night he penned Tilden's | | | | make things easy for those of us without PhDs, and |
| Three Laws of Robotics: | | | | by all accounts, there's plenty of additional room and |
| 1. A robot must protect its existence at all costs. | | | | power to accommodate whatever Frankenstein thing |
| 2. A robot must obtain and maintain access to a | | | | you can think up. There are entire books written on the |
| power source. | | | | subject should you wish to learn, so go forth and hack |
| 3. A robot must continually search for better power | | | | away. If it's a good one, send it in and we'll publish for |
| sources.informally known as*: | | | | all too either mock or applaud. |
| 1. Protect thy butt. | | | | And Another Thing |
| 2. Feed thy butt. | | | | So the next time you look at your Robosapien give a |
| 3. Move thy butt to better real estate. | | | | respectful nod to the world's first-ever robot based on |
| 1. He justified this robotic declaration of self-interest as | | | | the science of applied biomorphic robotics. Then go |
| the only way robots can start evolving the way | | | | chase a cat with it. |
| humans may have came from guppies looking for a | | | | * Graciously lifted from Dr. Tilden's excellent 'Junkbots, |
| good time by leaving the ocean. | | | | Bugbots & Bots on Wheels' book. |
| From Bugs to Sapiens | | | | |