E XPECTATIONS FOR CREATING THINKING builders share their winning design concepts for
and actuating machines were high in the incorporation into future robotic competitors. In
1960s and 70s, as universities began estab- BEAM evolution, humans are the way for a robot
lishing robotics and artificial intelligence labs. But to make a better robot.
researchers soon realized that even the most basic
physical tasks, such as getting a cart to sense Electronics: A hallmark of BEAM technology is the
obstacles in a space, plan a route, and execute it cyberpunky “abuse” of electronics, re-purposing
(called sense-plan-act architecture) were daunting components in ways that their designers never
assignments. Some wrestled with these problems intended. Chips used in common household elec-
by developing tweakier algorithms and throwing tronics to amplify sounds, direct data traffic, or
more, faster hardware at the problems, but MIT’s invert signals are connected in new ways in order
Rodney Brooks took a radically different tack. to control motors, process sensor input, and act
Inspired by insects and other teeny-brained crit- as state timers. Chain some of these sub-circuits
ters, he wondered what a sense-act architecture together, and you have a robot brain with no need
might look like, one where the bots didn’t bother to for a programmable microcontroller.
create a map of their world to plan from, but rather,
reacted directly to environmental stimuli. Aesthetics: Buckminster Fuller once said: “When
The results were impressive: bug-like bots that I’m working on a problem, I never think about
could do most of what the sense-plan-act robots beauty; I only think about how to solve the problem.
could do, but with scant little computing power. But when I have finished, if the solution is not beau-
Many roboticists were inspired by Brooks’ work, and tiful, I know it is wrong.” Tilden and fellow BEAMers
one, Mark Tilden, took the idea even further. After understand that elegance in robot design serves
seeing Brooks lecture in the early 90s, he wondered the evolutionary purpose (see Biology) of attract-
whether it was possible to create sense-act robots ing the enthusiasm of fellow builders, which leads
that used no digital computation at all. The answer to replication. Many also take pains to make their
was yes, and BEAM robotics was born. creations beautiful because they see their robots
The initials “B.E.A.M.” stand for the four compo- as a form of kinetic sculptural art.
nents of the BEAM design approach:
Mechanics: Like BEAM’s electronics, its mechanics
Biology: Like other sciences and technologies these and build techniques are often quite clever in how days, BEAM looks to nature for design inspiration. they maximize efficiency. For instance, many BEAM After all, billions of years of design, fabrication, and bots use free-formed circuitry, where the compo-in-field testing shouldn’t be taken lightly. BEAM also nents are soldered directly to each other rather encourages the human’s role in robotic evolution. than to a printed circuit board. This lowers cost and Olympic-style BEAM competitions are held each weight, and it shows off the engineering prowess year, and in the spirit of hacking and open sourcing, and soldering skills of the builder.
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