BEAM robotics facts for kids

BEAM robotics is a special way of building robots. The name BEAM comes from four words: Biology, Electronics, Aesthetics, and Mechanics.

Unlike many robots that use a computer brain (called a microprocessor), BEAM robots use simple electronic circuits. These circuits are like tiny "nervous systems" that help the robot react to its surroundings. This makes BEAM robots very simple and strong for the jobs they are designed to do. They often act like living things, responding to what they sense around them.

How BEAM Robots Work

BEAM robots are built on a simple idea: they react to things they sense. Imagine a plant turning towards the sun – that's a reaction! A scientist named Mark Tilden came up with the main ideas for BEAM. He created special circuits that act a bit like the tiny nerve cells (neurons) in living creatures. These circuits help the robot respond to its environment without needing a complex computer program.

Here are some key ideas behind BEAM robotics:

• Keep it simple: Use as few electronic parts as possible. This makes the robots easier to build and understand.
• Recycle and reuse: Many BEAM builders use old electronic parts or "technoscrap" to create their robots. This is good for the planet!
• Use natural energy: BEAM robots often get their power from radiant energy, like sunlight.

Many BEAM robots use small solar panels to power a special circuit called a "Solar Engine." This engine helps the robot work on its own, even when the light changes. The BEAM community has shared many cool ideas, like how to build these Solar Engines, control small motors, design touch sensors, and build palm-sized robots.

Types of BEAM Robots

BEAM robots are designed to act like living things. They focus on simple "reaction-based" actions. The way a BEAM robot looks often comes from what it needs to do.

What Does BEAM Mean?

The most common meaning for BEAM is:

• Biology (how living things work)
• Electronics (how circuits work)
• Aesthetics (how things look)
• Mechanics (how things move)

Mark Tilden first used this name in 1990 when he was showing off some of his early robots.

No Microcontrollers?

Most BEAM robots do not use microcontrollers or computer programming. Instead, they connect their sensors directly to their motors or other parts. This is like how a simple animal might react instantly to something it touches or sees.

However, some BEAM robots are "hybrids." They combine the simple BEAM parts with a microcontroller. For example, a "horse-and-rider" robot might have the "horse" part built with BEAM technology for basic movement, and a microcontroller "rider" to guide it for more complex goals.

How They React

Many BEAM robots are called "-tropes" because they react to specific things. For example, "phototropes" react to light. Since many BEAM robots use solar power, light-seeking robots are very common.

Here are some types of BEAM robots based on what they react to:

• Audiotropes: React to sounds.
  • Audiophiles: Move towards sound.
  • Audiophobes: Move away from sound.
• Phototropes: React to light.
  • Photophiles (or Photovores): Move towards light.
  • Photophobes: Move away from light.
• Radiotropes: React to radio waves.
  • Radiophiles: Move towards radio waves.
  • Radiophobes: Move away from radio waves.
• Thermotropes: React to heat.
  • Thermophiles: Move towards heat.
  • Thermophobes: Move away from heat.

How They Move

BEAM robots come in many shapes and sizes, and they move in different ways:

• Sitters: These robots stay in one place.
  • Beacons: Send out a signal for other robots.
  • Pummers: Create light shows or sound patterns. They often store solar energy during the day and turn on at night.
  • Ornaments: Are mostly electronic art.
• Squirmers: These robots stay in one place but move parts of their bodies.
  • Heads: Turn to follow things like light. They can be stand-alone or part of a bigger robot.
  • Vibrators: Shake themselves using a small motor with an off-center weight.
• Sliders: These robots move by sliding parts of their bodies along a surface.
  • Snakes: Move with a wavy side-to-side motion.
  • Earthworms: Move with a pushing and pulling motion.
• Crawlers: These robots move using tracks or by rolling their bodies with parts that lift them off the ground.
  • Turbots: Roll their whole bodies using arms or flagella.
  • Tracked robots: Use tracks, like a tank.
• Jumpers: These robots move by pushing themselves off the ground.
  • Vibrobots: Shake to move across a surface.
  • Springbots: Bounce forward in one direction.
• Rollers: These robots move by rolling all or part of their bodies.
  • Solarrollers: Solar-powered cars designed to race short distances.
• Walkers: These robots move using legs. BEAM walkers often use their simple "nervous networks" to react to the ground as they walk.
  • Motor Driven: Use motors to move their legs.
  • Muscle Wire Driven: Use special wires (made of Nitinol) that change shape when heated to move their legs.
• Swimmers: Also called aquabots. These robots move on or under water.
  • Boatbots: Stay on the surface of the water.
  • Subbots: Go under the water.
• Fliers: These robots move through the air.
  • Helicopters: Use a spinning part to lift and move.
  • Planes: Use wings to fly.
  • Blimps: Use a balloon filled with light gas to float.
• Climbers: These robots move up or down vertical surfaces, like ropes or wires.

BEAM Robotics Today

Today, you can find BEAM ideas in some products, like the Roomba robotic vacuum cleaner. BEAM is also great for quickly building and testing new robot movements, and it's very popular for hobbies and education. Mark Tilden, the creator of BEAM, has used these ideas to help design toys like the RoboRaptor. Companies like Solarbotics Ltd. and Hexbug also make BEAM-related kits and toys.

It can be tricky to control "pure" BEAM robots because their "nervous networks" can seem a bit random. Scientists are still working on understanding how these nature-inspired systems can be so good at what they do, even with tiny "brains."

BEAM robots usually don't "learn" from what they've done before because they don't have a long-term memory. However, some builders are trying to add this ability. Bruce Robinson's Hider robot is a great example of a BEAM robot that can do amazing things without a microprocessor.

See also

• Stiquito – a simple robot that walks using special wires.
• Turtle (robot) – early robots that helped start the ideas behind BEAM.