BEAMs dying?

[lowercase]

hello, i'm wondering about the current status of BEAM robotics, almost every forum is dead, the latest topics are from about two years ago, the pages dedicated to it are like frozen. Do you know what's happening? Why there's no active comunity?
I don't think it's because more advanced robots are taking it's place I mean they're so different, maybe not popular among roboticists but as enthusiasts and hobbists.
I feel like arriving late at tha party.

_lowercase

 

[be80be]

There a lot of fun I made 1 about 3 weeks ago out of a mouse and floppy drive motors a lite seeker then i added a pic12f675 and remote on and off with sony IR remote. I have a list of a lot of sites I'll post if you like.

 

[lowercase]

Hey be80be, you're right, BEAMs are a lot of fun and almost anyone can build them, of course they'll not clean your room or cook for you but i see it as a geat hobby.

I was browsing some sites a while ago and like 70% of the links are broken of heavily outdated, and The official BEAM Robotics site at Los Alamos National Laboratories --> NONEXISTENT this really has to be a bad sign.

Chiu-Yuan site died on '99 and has a lot of great info.

I don't know if the BEAM wiki is dead or not

and so on...

Maybe solarbotics is where the action is now...

oh sure I found it... last updated on september 2003

But really, BEAMbotics instead of growing is slowly decaying as I'm realizing, too sad.

It would be great if you could share some links with us be80be, thanks!

_lowercase

 

[blueroomelectronics]

If you're keen on robotics then you'll eventually have to learn microcontrollers. Once you do you'll probably have no desire to build a brainless bot again.

 

[lowercase]

No, thanks i'll pass on that one, I don't like that kind of robotics. I dont want a robot with a brain made up by me (or someone).

But sadly I think your post is the right answer to what's happenning with BEAM robotics. (the one I didn't wanted to hear) BEAMs are being killed by microcontrollers.

Of course they make great robots I'd love an hexapod from lynxmotion, but not that I'm going to actually build one.

I love the idea of simplicity and I love scavenging technojunk for parts and make an almost free robot, by the way I'm faaaaaar away from being a serious roboticist I just happen to totally agree with the BEAM philosophy.

_lowercase

 

[blueroomelectronics]

Hey nothing wrong with learning microcontrollers. You'd be surprised at what they can do for only a couple of dollars. Even the programmers are affordable.

 

[be80be]

Beams are not all brainless some of them can do really cool things I made a lite seeker that
can find the light. It dose know light from dark. You can make them from old parts like I have a basement full of old computers. It's easier to build a robot with a picmicro then a beam bot that works like Bill said it not hard to use a picmicro I have made 3 with 12f675 only 8 pins and it can do the same as the lite seeker and still have room for more. You can do both and still scavenge for part I do the only thing I buy is my picmiros and 1 1/2 by 2 1/2 bread boards

 

[be80be]

Here the best 2 sites I have found hope it helps
BEAM Robots
**broken link removed**

 

[psecody]

Those are really neat. I like the "green" thought behind the robots and that they're simple and aesthetically pleasing. I might try some of those while I'm waiting for my order of microcontrollers to come in. Thanks for the links this is a really cool idea.