Newsgroups: comp.robotics
Path: brunix!uunet!world!rgacote
From: rgacote@world.std.com (Raymond Cote)
Subject: Re: SQUIGGLE BALL INTELLIGENCE
Message-ID: <C9owJJ.6DH@world.std.com>
Organization: The World Public Access UNIX, Brookline, MA
References: <1993Jul4.050159.19322@mixcom.mixcom.com> <218vf2INN3ar@uwm.edu>
Distribution: usa
Date: Mon, 5 Jul 1993 11:42:54 GMT
Lines: 22

rick@ee.uwm.edu (Rick Miller) writes:

>Clint.Laskowski <Clint.Laskowski@mixcom.com> writes:
>>
>>Today I was at a store and saw a children's toy called the Squiggle Ball.
>>It was great! It cost $7.99. It was a ball, about the size of a base
>>ball, with a battery, motor, and off-centered weight inside.
>[...]
>>So, is this thing intelligent? Without considering the internal
>>operations, I'd say it was at least as intelligent as some of the
>>mobile robots we discuss hear in c.r at times.
>>

>The apparent intelligence the "Squiggle Ball" displays is probably just a
>clever mechanical side-effect of its particular method of locomotion.

I prefer to avoid the issue and ask, "does it do what I want?" We can spend
a lot of time debating the concept of intelligence while what the customer
really wants is, "a device to inspect the floor quality in a newly constructed
building." Who cares if it is intelligent. Can it exhibit useful behaviors?
ray
rgacote@world.std.com
