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What is BEAM?

Some parts of this page have been copied from Fang's BEAM Robotics website, because I didn't have enough time to write up everything myself. So give him credit for this section, not me.

BEAM is an acronym for:
Biology - Aspects of the design and function of BEAM robots parallel nature.
Electronics - Simple control circuitry which allows for emergent behavior.
Aesthetics - Make it look nice and it just might work better.
Mechanics - The mechanics of the BEAM robot's body are just as important as the electronics in it's brain.

BEAM robotics is the use of simple electronics to create some very elegant mechanical animals that act the same way they do in nature. The simplicity of BEAM allows people of all skill levels to create very complex autonomous robots without learning endless fields of electronics and without having to know how to program. If you are able to straighten out a paperclip until it can roll down an incline plane you can build a beambot. The potential for progressive learning makes BEAM an excellent hobby for young children who can learn basic construction techniques and mechanics, with parental aid of course, and move up to the electronics portion when they are ready.

BEAM devices come in infinite shapes and sizes. Some have wheels, some have legs, some even have wings and there are some which use completely different modes of transportation. The brains used to control BEAM "lifeforms" are very simple compared to the rats-nets of wiring and circuitry in conventional robots. These brains, also called nervous networks, contain no microprocessors with many BEAM critters having less transistors than a common radio. By wiring in basic sensors to influence the nervous network, we can control how the robot behaves much like putting blinkers on a race horse to make it run straight. These sensors include light detectors, touch feelers, heat sensors and just about anything you can think of. Your imagination is the limit.