Autonomous Light-Air Vessels
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ALAVs, by Jed Berk and Nikhil Mitter, are 3 flocking blimps (Bubba, Flipper, and Habib) which continuously search for networked activities in their environment. Each piece of information they pick up from the networked environment triggers certain actions like: propelling the vessel, transmitting a sound, lighting blue or red.
Each ALAV has little lights that indicate its hunger level. Blue means hungry. Red means full. People can "feed" the blimp by holding out a plant-like structure to it. The embedded sensor transmits info to the ALAV (successful feeding makes the plant vibrate.) The AVAL quickly "digests" the information and then moves on. Due to their unpredictable roaming behavior, ALAVs might occasionally stray from the flock. However, an ALAV cannot remain far away for long for it is constantly seeking out companionship. They find this via communication with their outside environment (mobile phones, laptops, sensors, other ALAVs.) This information in turn helps them make decisions, choosing directions to propel into. Besides, when an ALAV strays too far away for too long, its flock calls out to it with an animal-like chirp, or calling sound. The ALAV exhibit behaviors that relate to semi-domesticated animals (through their calling sounds, and the way they nudge people.) The importance of this system is about using the technology’s unpredictability and limitations to the advantage of the design. PDF of the project and plenty of videos. Via the new ecology of things < del.icious. Related: Powermoon, the Mascarillons. |
Interesting projects, I think this could lead us to more intelligent machines , (up to a point) and better implementation of AIs in general..
These things look like living animals when you look at the videos, with territorial behavior... Kindda frightening if you ask me ;)
Kiltak
[Geeks Are Sexy] Tech. News
Unique idea. Too bad feeding doesn't acutualy recharge them, how long do they run?
Sounds a lot like the beginnings of the book Prey, by Michael Chricton. The herding/communal programming stuff. Creepy!
I got a up-close and personal look at this project and it's fantastic. It's well through and nicely executed. The blimps have personality (and names) — one's a little dim-witted and sort of losing his mind. The feeding protocol is incredibly satisfying — particularly the whale calls they make as they're eating. Nicely done. I have some more notes and documentation here: http://research.techkwondo.com/node/137
Wouldn't it be awesome if feeding the ALAVs actually dispensed food to, say, the polar bears that are drowing to death and turning to cannibalism to survive in the melting ice caps? Oh, wait, sorry, wrong thread.
Actually, it would be really fun to have this uncanny experience once or twice. But, besides the obvious research into AI, etc., that this project advances -- and it really does look awesome -- what does this do for us, exactly? Explore the limits of human emotions?
its like the ballon in "the Prisoner"
they run on a rechargeable battery for about 8 hours, it would be nice if it recharged them.
Neat. And they don't shed, or poop on the floor (well, OK, maybe a spent battery once in a while, but hey, when was the last time you could smell that for days ?)
Anywhooo: Interesting technology, and an interesting experiment into "practical AI". The way these "Intelli-blimps" act (i.e. far more intelligent than they really are), one of them could be running for public office any day :-)
Nielsen
Denmark
A fresh and unique idea! Always nice thing to see.
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