Unit0

WhatisArduino

Referredto[Link]
Arduinoisanopensourcesingleboardmicrocontrollerusedforelectronicsprojectssuitableforboth
[Link]
andunlimitedapplications.ItoriginatedfromItalybackin2005.ArduinoconsistsofanAtmel8bit
processer.TheArduinoUnoR3weuseinthiscoursefeaturestheATmega16U2, thereby offering
greater transfer rates and memory over its predecessors.

WheretofindResources

ArduinoWikipage[Link]
Arduinomainwebsite[Link]
[Link]

ExaminingtheSparkFunInventorsKit

Justlikeopeninganythingnewelectronicforthetime,Iwasreallyexcitedtofinallycrackopenthebox,
[Link],someofwhichIrecognizelikethe
arduinouno,breadboard,motors,etc.

InstallingtheArduinodevelopmentenvironment

[Link],[Link]
connectedthearduinounotomycomputerusingtheusbcable,andthedriverswereinstalled
[Link],[Link]
notsurprisingastheirwebsiteandoverallbrandinghaveaverysleek,simpleandmodernfeeltothem.
TheSIKguideandtheUnoboardalsodontwell,[Link],my
boardandCOMportwerealreadyattherightselection.
Referredto[Link]

Writingandexecutingyourfirstprogram

SIKCircuit1

MYfirstprogram!Ifollowedtheguide,itwasstraightforward,learnedaboutpinMode,digitalWriteand
[Link]
[Link]
[Link].Makingadelay0makes
theledasexpectednotblinkatall.

VIDEO[Link]

Unit1

Unit1WorkbookExercisesRoboticComponents

Exercise1

[Link]

Tempsensor
FlexSensor
Photocell
Softpotentiometer

[Link]. For each of the sensors, identify what it perceives and the range of
possible sensor readings.

Temp Sensor: The one in the sparkfun kit is a low voltage centigrade temperature sensor that can
measure temperature over the -40C to +125C with an accuracy of +or- 2C

Flex Sensor: Its 2.2 in length and measures flex as its bent (its resistance changes).Not meant to flex at
its base.

Photocell: Can sense ambient light as resistance changes based on exposure to light. Light resistance
approx.. 1K ohm, dark resistance approx. 10K ohm

Soft Potentiometer: Can sense the relative position on a strip. Resistance changes from 100Ohms to
10000Ohms as we press down on the strip

3. Now imagine a sonar sensor has been added to Sparkfun. What is the new sensor space?

With a sonar sensor, the sensor space would include the ability to detect objects by sound (pings) , the
result of such detection would be a distance value.

Exercise 2

1. Describe the difference between effectors and actuators.

An effector is the physical part of a robot that can affect the environment, such as arms, legs, etc.
Whereas, an actuator is the mechanism by which the effector is able to perform these operations.

2. List each of the Sparkfuns actuators and effectors.

Effectors:
Red, Yellow, and RGB LEDs
Piezo Buzzer

Actuators:
DC Motor
Servo



3. List the degrees of freedom for the Sparkfun.
Unlike the Create, for which these questions were intended for, the Sparkfun does not move and so I
would say it has 0 Degrees of Freedom.

Chapter1FoodForThought

Whatelsecanyoudofromafar,bymeansofteleoperation?Youcantalk,write,andsee,asin
telephone,telegraph,[Link]?

[Link]
[Link],[Link]
musicbymeansofBluetooth.Youcanremotelycontrolamousepointerwitha2.4ghzwirelessmouse.

Isthermostatarobot?
Iactuallydidntrealizethis,butaccordingtothedefinitionofarobot,athermostatisindeedarobot.
Thisisbecauseitisatangibleobjectintherealworldthatcansensetemperatureandreactaccordingly
toperformitsobjectives.

Istoasterarobot?
Bydefinition,atoasterisnotarobot,becausethoughtitexistsintherealworld,itdoesnotsenseor
[Link]
objectives.

Someintelligentprograms,alsocalledsoftwareagents,suchasWebCrawlers,[Link]
theyrobots?
No,becausetheydontexistphysicallyintherealworld,theyarenottangible.

IsHAL,fromthemovie2001,theSpaceOdyssey,arobot?
MostdefinitelyYES!HALcouldsenseandreactwithhisenvironmentandperformvarioustasksinthe
realworldonhisown.

Chapter2FoodForThought

Howimportantisitforrobotstobeinspiredbybiologicalsystems?...Doesitmatterwhatkindofrobot
youarebuilding?Doesitmatterifitisgoingtointeractwithpeople?

Ithinkitisveryimportantforrobotstobeinspiredbybiologicalsystems,mostofthetimeirrelevantof
[Link],becauserobotsbasically
[Link]
humans,likeairplanes,[Link]
[Link],robotswouldatsomelevelinour
[Link]
wings,[Link],wherebiological
systemsmightnotreign,[Link],dealingwith
[Link],anobjectthatcanfloatinspacewiththrustersinvariousdirections,isnot
reallyinspiredbyanyorganismsflightinnature(ordeepsea),[Link]
thiswouldbetheexception.

Chapter3FoodForThought

[Link],manipulationormobility?Thinkofhowthoseabilitiesdevelop,in
children,babies,andadults.

[Link],wheretheycanmove
[Link]
[Link],theyalsodevelopfinemotorskills.
[Link],basiccrudemanipulationiseasierthan
[Link]
specialmaneuvers,[Link].

[Link]?

[Link],temperatures,[Link]:wehave
peripheral20/20visionat24fps,[Link],
sotheyhavealimitation(worsethandogsforexample).Wecanhearhear,between20and20,000Hz
frequencies,atlimiteddecibels.
Nowitseemswecansensemuchmorethanthis,butthatsonlybecauseofwhatweashumanscan
[Link],andthatinstantlytriggerspastmemories,
itcouldbeatraumaticevent,[Link]
peopleclaimsixthsense.Theystillhave5senses,itisjusttheirbrainsunderlyingprocessestagged
[Link],isthefeelingoflove,westillhave
our5senses,itsjustourbrainprocessing(releasingchemicals,etc)intandemwithoursensesthat
makesusfeellikewesensemuchmore.
Sooursensorspaceislimited,butisseeminglyvastgiventheprocessingbyourbrains.

[Link],partiallyobservable,hidden?

Observableinformationincludesthingsoursensescanpickup,likeobjects,sounds,[Link]
[Link]
Iexplainedinthepreviousquestion,whereyouobservesomebasicinformationbutourbrainperceives
[Link],instincts,wecanobservesomethingsubtlebut
dangerous,andthenourbraintriggerspastmemories,andsowecanbyinstinctrunawayfor
[Link].

SIKCircuit2

[Link]
[Link]
potentiometerhadapinharshlybent,anditisflimsy,[Link]
[Link],theLEDblinksfroma
[Link]
(analog)bythepotentiometer.

VIDEO[Link]

SIKCircuit3

WhenIfirstputtogetherhastilyImissedtheresistors,butnoticedmyerrorandimmediatelyputthem
in,[Link].
[Link],[Link]
extracarefulingettingthepinsinrightbyseparatingthem,andknowingtheshortoneisRed(sequence
isRed,GND,green,blue).Theprogramissimilartothepreviouscircuitsexceptitturnsonthevarious
Red,Green,BlueLEDsindifferentcombinationstooutputthedesiredcolor.

VIDEO[Link]

SIKCircuit4

Thisprogramwasalsosimilartopreviouscircuits,[Link].
[Link]
[Link]
[Link]
[Link]
[Link]
once,thenoff,andthenalloddatonce,[Link],butoutputwasasexpected,allyellow
LEDsturnedonatonceandthenallRedLEDsturnedonatoncenext,andsoon.
VIDEO[Link]

SIKCircuit5
Finally,[Link]
enough,[Link]
[Link]
connectionsacrossmyboard.Ihad2mistakes,Ididnothave1ofthewiresalignedcorrectlywitha
[Link]:IfIpusheitherbuttonit
[Link]
worksasexpected.
VIDEO[Link]

SIKCircuit6
[Link],exceptthe
[Link].
Analoginputrangefrom0to1023butwriteonlyrangesover0to255sotheinputismappedtooutput
[Link],thelightdidnt
completelyturnoff,soIplayedaroundwiththerange0to1023.Ieventuallypicked400700andit
[Link]
bywritingtotheanalogpin:[Link].
VIDEO[Link]

SIKCircuit7
Thiscircuitwasparticularlyeasytoassemble,onlyonepartneededwithnoresistors,justthetemp
[Link]
(pinsdown)theleftmostpinis5v,[Link]
codeforoutputtingdataonscreen(serialportwindow).[Link]
programandgetfollowingresults
voltage:2.89degC:238.57degF:461.43
*Facepalmtohead*
Evenafterknowingwhateachofthe3pinsonthetempsensorare,Imixedupthewirespositiveand
[Link]
[Link],prettyconsistent.
voltage:0.72degC:22.27degF:72.08
voltage:0.72degC:22.27degF:72.08
voltage:0.72degC:22.27degF:72.08
voltage:0.73degC:22.75degF:72.96
voltage:0.72degC:22.27degF:72.08

[Link].I
touchedthesensorandthetemperaturespiked,[Link].
voltage:0.73degC:23.24degF:73.84
voltage:0.73degC:23.24degF:73.84
voltage:0.73degC:23.24degF:73.84
VIDEO[Link]

MeetingLearningObjectives
1)definethetermrobotandprovideabriefhistoryofrobotsandrobotics.
Arobotisanautonomousphysicalsystemintherealworldthatcansensethingsandservesome
purpose.
2)listthecomponentsofatypicalrobot.
Followingrobotcomponentsrelatestoahumanbeings
Bodytoexistinthephysicalworldanddothings
Effectorsandactuatorstodoperformactions
Sensorstosenseitsenvironment
Controllertothinkandactonitsown

Unit2
Unit2WorkbookExercisesLocomotion
[Link]
compare?
TheLegoMindstormskitlookslikeitsgearedmoretowardsayoungeraudienceforasfunhobbyisttoy.
Thoughitcanmostdefinitelyserveotherpurposes,canbeusedforrapidprototypingforsmallprojects
thatcanuseitsarrayofsensors,wheels,tracks,[Link]
[Link]
moresensorsandhasacargobayformountingotherthings.
HowdothemotorsusedintheiRoombacomparetothevariousmotorsinyourInventor'skit?
[Link]
assume,forthesizeoftheiRoombaandthecargoitcancarry,itsmotorsaremorepowerfulthanthe
Skparkfuns.
DiscusshowyoumightbuildarobotliketheiRoombausingyourInventor'skit,includingandadditional
partsyoumighthavetoacquire.
Wow,sincetheiRoombaisacompleteunit,fullyassembled,Iwouldsaythattobuildsimilarlywith
Sparkfun,wewouldneed,wheels,gears,chassis,anadditionalmotor,[Link]
needahostofsensors,likedistancesensors,etc.

Chapter4FoodForThought

[Link]?Whataboutitsspeed?
[Link]
[Link]=torquexRPM

[Link]?
Iamgoingtoassumethewristisnotincludedasthetextbookmentionedthewristwithoutthehand.
Myhandcanoverallmovein3dimensionalspaceandalsoroll,pitch,yawmovementssothats6
DOF.
Eachfingercanmovein3dimensionalspacethemselves,sothats3*5=15DOF
Eachofmyfingershas2joints,sothats10DOF.
Sototal31DOF

Chapter5FoodForThought

HowdoesautomatedWebpathplannerlikeGoogleMapsfindtheoptimalpath?
Well,Irememberfrommycombinatoricsclassthatwecalculatedtheoptimalpathbetween2nodesin
[Link],the
edgesarestreetsandnodescanbeintersections.

SIKCircuit8
[Link],[Link]
[Link],Ilookedinthe
[Link]
[Link]
accurate,[Link].
ThenIranitwithmanycommandssettingitatvariouspositions(Degrees)andtheservowasslow,
seemedliketheprogramwaspushingahead,IguessIneededdelays.
VIDEO[Link]

SIKCircuit9
Assemblywasagainstraightforward;[Link]
[Link],thevoltagedivideronlya
[Link]
[Link],[Link]
serialwindow.Theservoreadingwasat120,Ichangedthedefaultrangeof600900to726900asthe
[Link]
[Link],Ihadtomakesharp,quickflexingonthesensor.
VIDEO[Link]

SIKCircuit10
Justwantedtonotethattomaketheassemblyprocessmoreeducational,Istudythecircuitguideand
[Link],butatleastIthinkIam
[Link],butcaughttheerror
[Link]
[Link],havingdonethepreviouscircuits,Iimmediatelyunderstandthewaytodo
[Link],we
havetomapthevoltagerangefromsensor(01023)totheRGBrange(0255).Eachcolor,red,green,
[Link]
[Link],itkeptcomingoutofthebreadboard,andIhadtoholdit
[Link]
myfingeralongthestrip,thecolorschangegradually.
VIDEO[Link]

SIKCircuit11
[Link]
[Link]
[Link]
correspondingtovariousfrequencieswashelpful!AllIneededtoknowthenwasthelengthofthesong
(numberofnotestoplay),tempo(thespeedtoplayalteredthroughdelays).Twoimportantarrayswere
neededtocustomizemusic,thenotesarraythatactuallyholdsthenotesforthesong,andthebeats
[Link]
[Link]:Songlength
26,tempo250andthefollowing:
charnotes[]="eeeeeeegcdefffffeeeeddedg";
intbeats[]={1,1,2,1,1,2,1,1,1,1,2,,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,2,2};
Anditplaysbeautifully.
VIDEO[Link]

SIKCircuit12
[Link]
justbeamatterofgivingpowertothemotor,[Link]
arduinoarenotstrongenoughtorunthemotor,[Link]
partsofthecircuitbeingused:Forinstance,thediodeisusedtopreventaspikeinvoltagefromthe
[Link]
[Link].
VIDEO[Link]

MeetingLearningObjectives
1)listthevariousmechanismsofroboticmovement.
Somemechanismsofroboticmovementarearms,Legs,Tracks,Wheels,Tracksandpropellers
2)discussactiveversuspassiveactuation.
Activeactuationusesactivepowerconsumptiontoprovidepower,whereaspassiveactuationuses
potentialenergyintheeffectorsmechanicsanditsinteractionwiththeenvironmenttoprovidepower.
3)describedifferenttypesofactuators.
ThetypesofactuatorsincludeElectricmotors,Hydraulics(usefluidpressure),Pneumatics(useair
pressure),Photoreactivematerials(reacttolight),Chemicallyreactivematerials(likefiberinacid&
alkalinesolutions),Thermallyreactivematerials(reacttotemperature),andPiezoelectricmaterials
(reacttopushingandpressing)
4)discussthesimilaritiesanddifferencesbetweenDCmotors,gearedmotors,andservomotors.
Allofthesemotorsconvertelectricalenergyintomechanicalenergybymeansofusingmagnets,loops,
wire,[Link]
[Link]
[Link]
[Link]
roboticsforprecisecontrolovereffectors.
5)describeandcalculatethedegreesoffreedominmovement.
ADegreeofFreedom(DOF)istheminimumnumberofthecoordinatesneededtodescribeamechanical
systemsmotion.Forinstanceifarobotmovesin3dimensionalspace,themovementinthe3axis(x,
y,z)[Link],pitch,oryaw(whichareallrotationsalongthedifferent
axis),[Link],themore
DOFthatsystemwouldhave.
6)discussstabilityinroboticmovement.
Thereare2typesofstabilityforrobots,[Link]
itselfupwithoutfallingwhileitisnotmovingbyhavingenoughstaticcomponentstosupportitself.A
robotisstabledynamicallyifitneedstomovetobeabletokeepitselfup,likeaflyingrobot.

Unit3
Chapter6FoodForThought
[Link]?Canyoucontroleachofthemindependently?
Iamgoingtoassumethewristisnotincludedasthetextbookmentionedthewristwithoutthehand.
Myhandcanoverallmovein3dimensionalspaceandalsoroll,pitch,yawmovementssothats6
DOF.
Eachfingercanmovein3dimensionalspacethemselves,sothats3*5=15DOF
Eachofmyfingershas2joints,sothats10DOF.
Sototal31DOF
Yes,[Link],somemovementsofthepinkiefingercause
minormovementinthenextfinger.
[Link],rotationalandprismatic,ismorecommonlyfoundin
biologicalbodies?Canyouthinkofexamplesofspecificanimals?
[Link]
[Link]
aroundanaxisparalleltoitslineofsightwhenlookingstraightahead.
[Link]?Whataboutalevercontrolledbackhoe?
Yes,astronautsuitsareexoskeletons,becausetheywearitanditisanouterstructurethatprovides
[Link],theydont
exactlywearit.
[Link],makesitsowndecisions,[Link]
definitelyarobot,[Link]
imaginewherethiscouldbeuseful?
Thiscouldbeusefulinhazardousconditions,suchaswarzones,areaofachemicalspill,[Link]
[Link]
automaticallysenddatabacktoacentralcomputer,etc.
[Link]?Arethedogsnowpurelymobilerobots?
Ithinkthattheendeffectorsinthiscasearethedogfronttwolegs,becausethosearethemainlimbs
[Link]
dogsarenotpurelymobilerobotsbecausetheirfronttwolegscanbeusedtoperformtasksotherthan
walking.

Unit3Exercises
DesignQuestion
Howmanymotors,andofwhattype,wouldyourequiretomakeafullyfunctionalroboticarmthat
hadaworkingelbow,wrist,andendaffector([Link])?Whatcomponentswouldyouadd
ifyouwantedtheclamptobeabletotellhowharditwasgrabbinganobjectsuchasanegg([Link]
avoidcrushingit)?Discussyourdesigninyourweblogindetail,especiallydescribingthechoiceof
motorforeachjoint,thedegreesoffreedomandtherangeofmotion.
Inthefollowingpassage,whenIsawajointrotatesinoneaxis,Imeanthearmmovesalonginoneaxis
likehowafoldedpocketknifeopensup.

Soweneedtosimulateshoulder,Elbow,wrist,clamp
Sofordegreesoffreedom:
1)Clamp:2DOFsincetheneedtobeabletorotateincircularmotionANDgraspthings
2)Wrist:1DOFtorotateinoneaxis
3)Elbow:1DOFtorotateinoneaxislikewrist
4)Shoulder:2DOF,1forrotatinginoneaxislikeelbow,andtheotherDOFforrotatingwholearm
(aroundthebase)
Sototal6DOF,sowewouldneed6Servomotorstoimplementthis.
Theclampjointcanrotate360degrees.
TheWristjointcanrotate180degrees,whichisrealisticandenoughsincetheelbowcanalsomove
allowingthewristtoreachmore
Theelbowcouldbemadetorotateinarangeof180degrees,butitispossibletomaketogoalltheway
aroundupto300degrees(cantdo360sinceitwillcollidewithbaseofarm),itdependsonhowone
wouldwanttoimplementit.Iwoulddo300degreestomakeitmoreversatile

Theshouldercanrotate180degrees,basicallystartingparalleltothefloorononesideandgoingallthe
wayover180degreestobeingparalleltotheflooragainonotherside.
Theshouldercanthenalsorotatealonganaxisperpendiculartothefloor,whichallowsthewholearm
totwist.

Grip:
[Link]
[Link]
[Link],
perhapsthereiswaytovarythetorque.

Programming/CircuitTask
Soobviouslywewillneedaservotoimplementthis.SoIfirstreviewedcircuit8fromtheSIKagainto
[Link],Ijustneedtogettheservoto
movetoaparticulardegreeinputfromuser.(startsat0degree,elbowfullyextended).SoobviouslyI
[Link]
did,[Link]
[Link],groundleadsandtheinputfromtheservotopin9
[Link]
[Link].
Testing:Ienteredlimitsoutofrange,[Link]
twice,thearmjuststaysput,whichisfine.
CODE:
#include<Servo.h>//servolibrary
Servoservo1;//servocontrolobject
voidsetup()
{
[Link](9);//servoatpin9
[Link](9600);//setbaudrate
[Link](0);//moveservoto0degrees
[Link]("Enteradegreevaluetocontracttheelbowto(0170)");
}
voidloop()
{
intinput;//holdsuserinput
if([Link]()){
delay(1000);//Pausetoletservomove(includingwhenitsetsinitial0)
input=[Link]();//getuserinput
if(input>=0&&input<=170){//checkifdegreewithinlimits
[Link](input);//movearm
[Link]("movingtodegree");//printstatus
[Link](input);
}else{//elseifbadinputentered
[Link]("badinput!");
}
}
}

Connect3jumpercablestoservomotorcabletoserveasextensiontoservomotorcables
GNDwirefromservomotortoe5
5Vcablefromservomotortoe6
Signalcablefromservomotore7
Cablefromc7topin9
Cablefromc6to+
Cablefromc5to
Cablefrom+to5V
CablefromtoGND

VIDEO
[Link]

Unit4
Chapter7FoodForThought
[Link],whichiswhysimulatedrobotsarenot
veryclosetothereal,[Link]?
Uncertaintyisnotmuchofaproblemincomputersimulationsbecausesuchsimulationsaretakingplace
[Link]
[Link],theyhaveto
[Link]
possiblyaccountforallunkowns.

[Link]:
Ofcoursenot,[Link],thecontroller
[Link]
processors,[Link],addingmore
sensorsdoesmakeiteasierforthecontrollerastherewillbebetterinformation,butsensorsarenotthe
limitingfactor.
[Link]?Andifsomeday
theyareboth,whatwilltheirintelligencebelike,similartooursorcompletelydifferent?
[Link]
advancement,[Link]
[Link].
[Link]
[Link]
[Link],wecantexpecttobuildrobots
tobethatway.
Chapter8FoodForThought
[Link]?
[Link]
topowerbenefitfrompassivesensorsduetotheirlowenergyusage.
[Link]?
Potentiometersarepassivesensorsbecausetheydontprovidetheirownsignalorstimuli,theydon't
[Link].
[Link]?Aretheysimilarinform
(mechanismofhowtheydetect)orfunction(whattheydetect)?Whymightstretchreceptorsbeuseful
torobots,evenwithoutstomachsandeating?

Itishardtothinkofthetypeofsensorswithoutknowinghowtheexpandablestomachwillbe
[Link],flexsensorsseemthemostappropriate.
Youcanlinearobotstomachwithablanketofflexsensors,[Link]
sensorswouldbeusefulforrobotsbecausetheycanavoidphysicalstressdamageoftherobot.

Chapter9FoodForThought
[Link]?
Thespeedofsoundinmetricunitsis300m/s.
[Link]?Whatdoesthistellyouaboutsensors
thatuseoneortheother?
Thespeedoflightinmetricunitsis299792458m/[Link]
speedofsoundby299792458300=299792158m/[Link]
[Link],
whereaswithsoundsensoryouneedtohavedelaysinbetweenprocessing.
[Link]?Howmight
youdealwiththeirsensorinterference?InChapter20wewilllearnaboutcoordinatingteamsofrobots.
Onewayistotreattheuseofsonarasasharedresource,whereeachrobottransmitsasignalthatitis
[Link],Iguess
otherrobotscanlistenforanactiveping,butitcouldbenoisefromtheenvironment.
[Link]?
Iamguessingithastodowiththefactthatitischeaperandsimplertocalculatethetimeofflightas
opposedtoashiftinfrequency.
[Link],arethreeeyesmuchbetter,orevenanybetter,thantwo?
Twoeyesaresignificantlybetterthanoneeyebecauseitgivesasenseofdepth,andthereforelotmore
[Link],ifitisveryclosetothe
other2eyes.Ifitisawayfromtheother2eyesinthesamedirection,itcanoffertheadvantageofa
differentangle.Ifthethirdeyeisfacinganotherdirectionthantheother2eyes,thenitcangive
significantlymoreinformationandthusismuchbetter.

Unit5
Chapter10FoodForThought
[Link]?Whatifyoursensorincorrectlytellsyou
thattherobotisfarfromawallbutinfactitisnot?Whataboutviceversa?Howmightyouaddress
theseissues?
Whenthereisasensorerrorinasystem,[Link]
youcorrectlythatitisclosetoawall,[Link],
[Link],and
[Link]
[Link]
sensorrepeatedlygivesincorrectdata,[Link]
instance,ifadistancesensor(IR)ismalfunctioning,aflexsensorinthefrontofarobotcanprevent
collisionbydetectingawall.
[Link]?Whenmightitbeuseful?
Withopenloopcontrol,arobotexecutescommandsbasedonwhatwaspreviouslypredictedas
[Link]
orcannotrelyontheirsensors
Chapter11FoodForThought
[Link]?Coulditmakeorbreakaparticulargadget,device,or
robot?
[Link]
[Link],certainprogramming
[Link],
[Link],theprogramminglanguagePrologcouldbe
[Link]
[Link],whilethechoiceofprogramminglanguagemightnotnecessarilybreak
arobotordevice,itcouldinhibititspotentialperformance.
[Link],doyouthinktherewillbe
increasinglymoreorincreasinglyfewerprogramminglanguages?
Ithinkwithdevelopmentofnewtechnologieswewouldseemanynewprogramminglanguages.
However,Ithinkmostofthesenewlanguageswouldbevariantsofcurrentprogramminglanguages,
[Link]
tailoredtonewtechnologies,andtherebymakingsoftwaredevelopmentmoreefficient.

Unit6
Chapter12FoodForThought
[Link]?Whataboutinsects?
[Link],theyhaveunderlyinginstinctstoguide
[Link],[Link]
aboutinsects;Ithinktheyarelesscapableofdevelopinginternalmodelsbecauseoftheirbrainsize.
Theystillmayhaveprimitiveinternalmodels.
[Link]?
[Link],ifthe
environmentisdynamicorchanging,thebenefitofstoringinternalmodelsactuallybecomesaburden.
Itwouldbebettertonotstoreinternalmodelsandinsteadforexample,userealtimesensorsand
processingtoachievethesamegoal.
Unit7
Chapter13FoodForThought
[Link]?
[Link],ifarobot
needstobeabletodeliberateorthinkhardaboutwhatitneedstodo,itneedsinformationtoprocess.
Thisinformationhastobestoredinsomemannerwithintherobot,whichwouldbesomesortof
[Link],itispossibleforarobottoreacttorealtimesensoryinputbasedona
setofruleswithoutanunderstandingofitssurroundings.
[Link]?Whichones,andwhatdotheyplan?
Yesmostanimalscanplans,[Link]
[Link],Lions,KillerWhales,[Link].
[Link],wouldyoustillneedtoplan?
Ifwehadperfectmemory,Ithinkwewouldstillneedtoplaninsomecasesbecausewemightnothave
[Link]
informationfromourmemorytoplanforacurrentscenariothatisunexpected.
Chapter14FoodForThought
[Link]?Ifso,how?Ifnot,whynot?
No,youcannotchangethegoalofareactivesystembecausetheyhaveaspecificsetofrulesthatcouple
[Link],thegoalcannotultimately
change.
[Link]/worldmodel?Ifso,how?Ifnot,whynot,andwhat
couldyoudoinstead?
[Link]
informationinsuchmannerwouldalsoalleviateburdenontherobothavingtostorelargeamountof
data.
[Link]?
Yes,arobotcanlearnamazebystoringaninternalmodelonwhatitencounterswhileexploringallthe
[Link]
accessible,althoughitwouldtakealongtimeandalotofprocessingbytherobot.
Unit8
Chapter15FoodForThought
[Link],oristhatallthereisintermsofintelligent,realtimerobot
behavior?Canyouthinkofanotherwaythatarobotcanbeabletoboththinkandreact?
Unfortunately,Ialreadyskimmed(briefly)[Link],Istill
[Link]
andhybridsystems,[Link]
[Link].
Chapter16FoodForThought
[Link]
[Link]
allowsrobotprogrammerstobecreativeandcomeupwithinterestingandnovelideasforwaysto
[Link]?
[Link],itwouldultimatelydependontheapplication
[Link],thenitwouldbe
[Link],iftherobot
hadalesscriticalgoalsuchasanAIchatsystem,thenhavinglooselydefinedbehaviorscouldactually
benefittherobotbecauseunexpectedbehaviorswouldbemoreacceptable.
[Link].
[Link],
[Link]
canhaveasetofbehaviorsorrulesasfoundationsthatcanshapetheiractionsintheirenvironment.
Sincebehaviorismdiscreditstheseinternaldrivingforces,theyareprofoundlydifferent.

Unit9
Chapter17FoodForThought
[Link]?Whatdoyoudo?
[Link]
[Link],
[Link].
[Link],thatiseasiersaid
thandone,astheseinstinctsderivefromthecurrentmood,circumstanceorrelationshipwithother
[Link],[Link]
wecanmakearobotmimiccertainthingslikemood,thementalcapabilitiesneededtohaveinstincts
[Link],ifarobotissomedaycapableofsuchinstincts,thenitwoulddefinitelybe
beneficial.

However,suchinstinctscanalsoleadtoimperfections,[Link],perhaps
wewouldavoidsuchrobotsincertaincriticalapplicationswhereweneedamorerigorouscontrolover
decisionmaking.
Unit10
Chapter18FoodForThought
[Link],orfollowing(servoingtosometarget),whichisanaturalbehaviortoproduce
viaemergence,canyouthinkofothersyoumightwanttoimplementthisway?
[Link]
randommanner([Link]),thentherobotwouldtechnically
[Link],butwithout
explicitlytellingtherobottofollowasetofdirectionstomapitenvironmentorgiveitaninternal
model,randomlyavoidingitsobstaclescouldintheoryeventuallyhavetherobotmapitsentire
environment,thoughinanextremelytediousandinefficientway.

[Link],suchasbuilda
bridgeorawallorabuilding?Antsdoitallthetime,seeChapter20.
[Link]
[Link],buildingthewall
wouldthenbeanemergentbehavior.

Unit11
Chapter19FoodForThought
[Link],findingtheirwayinthevastopenspacesofthe
[Link],basedonsomestudiesthat
[Link],nostudieshaveactuallypittedahumanagainstanantinthedesert,but
comparableexperimentsfindpeoplelostandconfused,andantsonanearlystraightpathbackhome.
Antsaresuperiorinnavigationduetotheirinternalcompassandamechanismbywhichtheycanjudge
[Link],althoughnot
[Link]
[Link],
[Link],itwouldhavetobe
[Link],[Link]
thousandsofyears,itcouldalsobeinherenttohumanbehavior.
[Link],sincetheyareverygoodatit
(soareants,aswenotedabove,buttheirbrainsaremuchhardertostudy,beingsosmall).Researchers
haveputratsintoregularmazesandwatermazes,[Link]
veryinterestingaboutratsthatlearnamazewellisthattheymayrunintoawall(ifanewwallisstuck
inbytheexperimenter)eveniftheycanseeit,seemingtorunbasedontheirstoredmapratherthan
[Link]?Ratsdoitonlyonce,
though.
Arobotcontrolsystemsimilartothiswouldbeahybridsystemthatinvolvesbothdeliberativeand
[Link]
[Link],itdeliberatesagaintochangeitsinternalrepresentationorplan
[Link],theratwillnotrunintothatwallagain.

Unit12
Chapter21FoodForThought
[Link],becausetheyareuncomfortablewiththe
[Link]
abilitiesmakeitmoreunpredictable?Ifso,howcanthisbehelped?Ifnot,howcanpeoplesworriesbe
puttorest?
Ifrobottrulyhaslearningasoneofitsabilities,thenitwouldeventuallybehaveinanunpredictable
[Link],ofcourse,itsacontrolledenvironmentwherewecanmonitorwhattherobotlearnsor
[Link],learningwouldmakearobotexponentiallycomplex
[Link],thisneednotbeanissueifwecangivetherobot
[Link]
theunpredictablebehavior.
Unit13
Chapter22FoodForThought
[Link]?Arerobotstakingtheserolesawayfrompeopleorarethey
fillingotherwiseunfilledroles?Whatifthoserolesareunfillednow,butoncerobotsfillthem,theycould
neveragainbefilledbypeople?Thesearejustsomeoftheethicalandeconomicquestionsthathave
[Link]?
[Link],androbotsalsodo
[Link],theultimate
[Link]
humanlabor,[Link]
eventuallyadapttosuchshiftsinthemarketbyperhapstrainingmorehumansinskilledjobsthatrobots
[Link],thereisaplaceforethics,andsoIthinkweshouldsoftenthenegativeimpact
[Link],wecouldhaveagradual
[Link]
moretimetoadapt.

[Link],they
willbesomuchlikepeoplethatitwillbeunethicaltohavethemworkingforus,asitwillcreatearaceof
[Link]?
[Link]
[Link],havememories,[Link]
[Link]?Wouldithavea
conscience?Suchthingsaretoocomplextoevenimaginearobotacquiring,soIwouldassumethatthey
[Link],sincewewouldbeabletohaveacleardistinctionbetween
humansandtheserobots,[Link],theycouldhaveas
muchrightsasapetwouldhave,[Link]
basicallykeeppetslikeslavesinsomemanner.