Newsgroups: comp.robotics
Path: brunix!uunet!noc.near.net!gateway!miki!wpns
From: wpns@miki.pictel.com (Willie Smith)
Subject: Re: 6 legged beast
Message-ID: <1992Jul28.152022.725@miki.pictel.com>
Organization: PictureTel Corporation
References: <gate.qL35NB1w165w@toz.buffalo.ny.us> <1992Jul27.174110.5064@trantor.harris-atd.com> <1992Jul27.221854.3063@news.iastate.edu>
Date: Tue, 28 Jul 1992 15:20:22 GMT
Lines: 28

In article <1992Jul27.221854.3063@news.iastate.edu> mds@iastate.edu (Mark D. Smucker) writes:
>This is not a flame, but a reference to a really neat small six legged
>robot. 
>
>Reference 1: Brooks. Rodney A.
>	     New Approaches to robotics
>             Science v253  p1227-32 Sept 13 '91
>
>	In this article there is a picture of Genghis, a six legged
>robot and the caption reads:

Yes Ghengis is neat, and I have alot of respect for the folks at MIT
who built it.  I've seen it in operation, and it actually works.  You
could build one in your basement!  It was designed as a (relatively)
inexpensive platform for doing software development on, and it's great
for that!  In fact, I'm considering doing a little 'subsumption' type
layering in my teleop vehicle if I ever spend any more time on it. :+}

However, it doesn't carry it's own power supply, it doesn't effect
it's environment, and (at least when I saw it) doesn't even explore,
it just learns to walk, wanders around, and responds to various
obstacles.

Depends what you want out of your robot, but wheeled platforms have a
lot of advantages, IMHO.

Willie Smith
wpns@pictel.com
