Newsgroups: comp.robotics
From: Joe@stellar.demon.co.uk (Joseph Michael)
Path: brunix!sgiblab!swrinde!gatech!howland.reston.ans.net!pipex!uknet!demon!stellar.demon.co.uk!Joe
Subject: Shape Changing Robots
Organization: Stellar Drive
Reply-To: Joe@stellar.demon.co.uk
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Date: Sun, 17 Apr 1994 20:55:47 +0000
Message-ID: <766616147snz@stellar.demon.co.uk>
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Hi folks,

	I recently filed a patent for a shape changing robot. If anyone is
iterested in commercial partnership in developing these robots please email
me - Joe@stellar.demon.co.uk.

	The robot has been designed with manufacturing automation in mind. In
terms of flexibility, it is more or less the hardware equivalent of software.
The product applications are limited by the imagination for customising
it to different applications.

Some of the first application areas that come to mind are military
applications, nuclear disaster control, civil engineering and space
applications, flexible automobile manufacturing .

I call it programmable materials. Under computer control, you instruct
programmable materials to for example turn into a walking machine.
Alternatively, you can turn into a wall or a flat surface etc.
It can usefully deform around objects e.g. you can take several tons of
programmable materials up the stairs and through a narrow door entrance
into a failed nuclear power station to prop up the ceilings, erect lead
walls, pump out dust and smoke, install lighting and cameras etc.

In military applications, you can for example use it to build bridges with it
that repair themselves and deploy weapons automatically to defend itself from
attacks. You can also use it to lay bunkers, mines and defences rapidly.

There is nothing new in the designs - its simply put together in a consistent
way from technology that has been around since the sixties and earlier.
(But please remember that I have filed for patent protection if you
intend to copy it.)

In big civil engineering projects, programmable materials can be used
to transport equipment, structural supports etc with a great deal
of automation to realise projects much quicker than they otherwise
would have been.

My personal favourite application area is space because it cheapens everything.
Programmable materials can be sent into space. Much of the rocket structure will
be built of programmable materials and once it gets into space, it deforms 
into a satellite or a space ship, or join with other ships to make huge
space stations all automatically. You can if you need to then send it to the
Moon or Mars. When they want to land, they turn into a more compact shape.
After landing they deform again but this time into a lunar base or a martian
base.

Even if you had a bad landing, you can't kill programmable materials robots
because you have to destroy every bit of it. Any faulty part is simply rejected
and the machine repairs itself because like a fractal, most of itself is
made from more of iteself.

Every rocket launch that is not using the full fuel load can carry
extra programmable materials into space where they can be kept in parking
orbits to be later assembled into more space ships automatically. Programmable
materials can be put into parking orbits with both civilian and military
launches thus creating a pool of such materials for dual use which overall
saves a great of cost.

If you going to post a proposal, please remember that it will take about a
year to put the hardware and software together. A more realistic time
scale is three years for commercial products because the operating system
I am proposing require complete rewrites from normal commercial products.
The electronics would be cubersome using normal CPU technology and for that
reason, I am also proposing a new RISC CPU and ASIC glue logic to get the
job done.

-- 

Joseph Michael


Tel (UK) +44 81 800 9914
Fax (UK) +44 81 800 9915
Mobile (UK) +44 836 703945

If you live within the UK use the following numbers:-
Tel 081-800 9914
Fax 081-800 9915
Mob 0836-703945

