Harold R. Ilano’s Black Vermin 1. 1, a replica of Mark Tilden’s infamous Vbug 1. 5, using hobby servos instead of Walkman motors. More images, schematics, and video at raysbeambots.solarbotics.net/harold/harold.htm

 

A few other key BEAM precepts are worth detail- more than a few cheap analog ICs, parts lifted from
ing, as they say a lot about how BEAM differs from several Sony Pro Walkmans, an oven timer, and
other robot design approaches. some wire. BEAM enthusiasts do use microcon-
trollers and other high-end components, but only if
cheaper and simpler solutions are not possible.

Keep It Simple, Stupid (K.I.S.S.)

Photograph by Harold R. Ilano/ haroldsbeambugs.solarbotics. net

BEAM’s Zen-like simplicity strips away assump-
tions to get at the essence of a problem. Look at My Many Dumb Bots
the Robosapien, a toy humanoid robot designed Beat Your One Smart Bot
by Tilden that incorporates many BEAM concepts. Implied within the BEAM philosophy is Brooks’ idea
Robosapien uses almost no digital processing, yet that a bunch of working dumb bots is better than
one broken smart bot. BEAM

1. Protect thy ass. 2. Feed enthusiasts envision a future in which swarms of cheap robots

thy ass. 3. Get thy ass to could do such things as clean skyscrapers, toxic waste sites,

better real estate. and even your house. If a few of them break or run out of juice, that’s fine, but if a single high-

it performs many of the behaviors of corporate priced fussybot breaks so much as one end effec-research robots like Sony Qrio and Honda ASIMO. tor, you’re out of luck.

A Robosapien costs less than $100, while these
high-end industrial fussybots aren’t even on the Real Robots Fend for Themselves
market — and would cost a fortune if they were. Whenever possible, BEAM builders design bots that
can take care of themselves. Many older designs

Junkbots and Appropriate Technology are solar-powered. Some more recent BEAM and BEAM also emphasizes recycling. One of Tilden’s BEAM-inspired designs do require batteries, but early BEAMbots, Vbug 1. 5, was made from little ingenious engineering maximizes their efficiency.