Newsgroups: comp.robotics
Path: brunix!uunet!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!news.media.mit.edu!fredm
From: fredm@media.mit.edu (Fred G Martin)
Subject: Re: Braitenberg vehicles
Message-ID: <1992May9.050002.28447@news.media.mit.edu>
Sender: news@news.media.mit.edu (USENET News System)
Organization: MIT Media Laboratory
References: <1992May8.142417.20908@a.cs.okstate.edu>
Date: Sat, 9 May 1992 05:00:02 GMT
Lines: 43

One of the projects we've done at the LEGO/Logo Lab involved the
construction of what we've called "Braitenberg Bricks"---small LEGO
bricks with simple electronics installed inside of each one.  We
created three three categories of bricks:

  * actuator bricks-- motors, lights, beepers
  * sensor bricks-- sound, light, touch
  * logic bricks-- and, or, not, flip-flop, timer

Various Braitenberg-like creatures out of LEGO by choosing the
appropriate bricks and wiring them together.  The bricks are simple
enough to use that in a number of workshops, 6th and 7th grade
children have build their own Braitenberg vehicles.

(Regarding the earlier poster's query, I don't think this is the most
*efficient* way to build a Braitenberg creature, but it is a
pedagogically and conceptually interesting one.  Hardware is a pain in
the butt, and building dozens of individual modules is rather time
consuming.  I'd simulate a circuit in software on a micro if I wanted
efficiency.)

A copy of a paper discussing the Braitenberg Bricks and about a dozen
different machines constructed with them can be obtained by writing to
our group publications office:

	Epistemology and Learning Publications
	MIT Media Lab
	20 Ames Street Room 309
	Cambridge, MA 02139

Ask for E&L Memo #13 and enclose a check/money order for $2.00 made
out to E&L Publications to cover printing and mailing costs.  This
paper is also available from our anonymous FTP server,
cherupakha.media.mit.edu (18.85.0.47).  Get the README file in the pub
directory for more information.

A video clip of the actual LEGO Braitenberg creatures is also
available.  Write to the above address for information.


Cheers,

Fred
