Brain Teleconferencing

Simultaneous teleconferencing blocks inside the Big Brain can communicate according to their virtualized presence through "sub interfacing" while the remainder of the brain continues to process its other functions.

BIG BRAIN MACHINE TELECONFERENCING
You may or may not be aware of numerous techniques developed for use inside the Big Brain, such as transforming, transposing, and teleportation. (see links below) What about utilizing the technique of Teleconferencing, where the projection of one entity particle can appear to reside at alternate locations for the co-exchange and intermingling of data, material, or parametric identities?

Does the human brain employ neural elements of teleconferencing visitations that can be modeled into the machine brain, or will the machine brain remain entirely unique with its implementation of functions? Can you "ghost in" teleconferencing and what are the techniques in doing so? 

— this is not the type of teleconferencing you might think... these are parts inside the brain that can meet up with other parts also inside the brain —

How would one most effectively bring two discretely located brain modules together for teleconferencing and the exchange? In this method, we chose to attack the plan by the creation of two discrete modules in the brain, and give each their own unique communications net. The net enables sub communications, while the mains can continue on its routine duties of its own communications. Thus, in effect, teleconferencing is a sub effect within the bowels of the brain.

Teleconferencing, or Tele for short, involves the methodized projection of two entities within the Big Brain machine to a common focal point and reversing the conduit. The conduit reversal allows entity one to interact with entity two and the converse is true, i.e. entity two can interact with entity one. In this condition, the teleconferencing is virtualized, and not an actual transposition in the physical sense of teleportation. For all practical purposes, teleconferencing is like a simplified version of teleportation in the VR world.

For practical, simplified and demonstrative purposes, block unionizing, or the joining of two blocks, can be achieved on a one wire party line. This has the arrangement of one telecommunications channel in effect at one time. The great advantage is that any block can interactively communicate with any other block on a one-to-one fashion.

For bringing in the entire block to location, we recommend using the techniques of teleportation. For ascribing teleconferencing, it is recommended to transmit the parametric identities which define the block and reassemble the blocks at the primary and secondary locations.

LINKS 
Experimental Techniques Developed for Use Inside the Big Brain
http://humanoidolabs.blogspot.tw/2012/09/supertronic-brain.html

Transforming
http://humanoidolabs.blogspot.tw/2012/08/transformation-machine-tmach.html 
Transposing
http://humanoidolabs.blogspot.tw/2013/02/controlling-transposition-machines.html
http://humanoidolabs.blogspot.tw/2013/02/transposition-machines.html
Brain Morphing 
http://humanoidolabs.blogspot.tw/2012/01/brain-morpher.html
Objects Inside the Brain
http://humanoidolabs.blogspot.tw/2012/09/objects-inside-chip.html 

Approach to Life

CREATING A LIFE FORM SERIES
UNDERSTANDING THE BIG BRAIN
THE APPROACH TO LIFE

There are two trends of though to creating a new life form with present knowledge. First, it's possible to use programming to anticipate every possible contingency. This is a brute force method, and works well for specific isolated environments and knowledge bases.

Secondly, and this is the more difficult approach, to instill learning into the life form, so that it may learn on its own. For centuries, man has looked for the key to this quality. When will a robot life form have the ability to learn? How does one implement the algorithm to learning without the intervention of mankind?

Here at the Lab, the Big Brain machine initiative is working with both methods simultaneously, inside the machine brain, more or less. We still have a way to go in tuning a life form that can have birth and continuously learn the elements of life and living, interfacing with humans and functioning the world around us. On the other hand, the Big Brain, as a working machine brain, has already achieved success, though on a smaller scale.

A smaller scale success is because the number of neurons, while exceeding a few hundred thousand processors, a remarkable achievement by its own right, needs many more processors to increase the level of sophistication and function. Perhaps one should be satisfied with the levels of achievement from the Big Brain, but we are always pushing the envelope for more.

Currently we have worked to give the Big Brain a method of creativity to expand itself into its surrounding world, thereby suggesting the determination and fulfillment of its own initiatives.

Rare Toddler Humanoid Robot

The rare TH1 gold Humanoid Toddler robot serial number one, with six servos including the revolutionary Quad Core by Humanoido Labs, with boards and mechanics by Parallax

RARE GOLD HUMANOID ROBOT
One of the most rare collector robots we have is the gold Toddler Humanoid Robot that was built from two kits - one, a Parallax Toddler Robot, and two, a Toddler Humanoid Kit.

— grown up, taller, more expressive —

This is the prized fully loaded serial number one with the ultrasonic night vision eyes and multiprocessors. Sporting a moving torso, arms, head, and legs, the TH1 is fully capable of new expressive features such as dancing, choreography, and Tai Chi.

For more information.
http://humanoidolabs.blogspot.tw/2012/09/toddler-humanoidlevel-1-construction.html

http://www.parallax.com/

Big Brain 4th Year Operations

BIG BRAIN 4TH YEAR OPERATIONS

HISTORIC PHOTO: the path to the original Big Brain tower is paved with Parallax Propeller chips.

Join us as we celebrate entering into the Big Brain's fourth year of operations and discovery! The fourth year began on August 5th 2013.

Our 1st post about the Propeller chip-based Big Brain was on August 5th, 2010, when Humanoido posed the famous question:

If you had a big brain for your robot, what would you put in it? I think some similarity to a human brain is good, for example, put in vision processing, memory, and a robot autonomic nervous system.
Ok, your turn, fill the brain..

ABOUT THE BIG BRAIN The Big Brain is now a thinking machine that was born from a small hobby project. By the year 2002, its design was expanded for several robots, culminating with multiple parallel processors placed in a humanoid. The objective was to create a living thinking humanoid robot brain of autonomous nature with a knowledge base.

The Big Brain has probed and dissected the inner space micro and nano scopic workings of its own Propeller chip circuits thus creating enhancements unbeknownst to the original manufacturing chip company.

Starting with one processor, it was realized that more power was needed, thus, over the years, it continued to grow with additional processors until it reached a very massive state around August of 2010 when it was switched to primarily Parallax Propeller chips.

Every year since that time, we've celebrated the Propeller chip birthing anniversary of the Big Brain. In three years, a lot has happened. The biggest milestones can be summarized by the Propeller chip era seen below.

FIRST YEAR
2010 Birth (Design, Parts, Construction, Growth, Blob, Testing)

SECOND YEAR
2011 Life (Software, Expansion, Speech, Sing, Dream)
2011 Semi Cognizant (Intelligence, Languages, Neural Net)
2011 Micro Space Program Begins (8-21-2011)

THIRD YEAR
2012 Supertronic Enhanced (Increased Speed & Processors)
2012 Big Brain Runs Its Own Blog

FOURTH YEAR
2013 Big Brain Conducts Massive Projects, Explores Universe

Remember this famous post?

04-10-2011, 03:41 AM Humanoido
Big Breakthrough in Machine Brain Technology!
100,000 Neurons into the 1st 100 Propellers
This is a big breakthrough in big brain machine technology using Propellers. I have successfully delivered (Neural Matter Injected) 100,000 neurons into the first 100 Propellers. It's time to celebrate!!! See you tomorrow! 

For more detail, follow these links. (some may need updating with the latest discoveries)

BIG BRAIN HISTORY
http://humanoidolabs.blogspot.tw/p/history.html
SPECIFICATIONS
http://humanoidolabs.blogspot.tw/p/specs.html
MILESTONES
http://humanoidolabs.blogspot.tw/p/milestones.html

Below are details about previous Big Brain anniversaries. 

08-05-2011 One Year Anniversary Party
We're holding a One Year Anniversary Party for the Big Brain over the weekend. Everyone's invited!  I'm checking on appointments at the University of Technology to possibly see the new humanoids and also checking the Exposition Lecture agenda through the university where they host Brain research. Some interesting facts, the Big Brain is the largest Parallax machine ever built in my smallest lab. There's over 300 smaller machines built from the beginning of 2002 to 2011, a ten year period, so I could learn about putting together multiple processors. The first multi-brain was made from several Parallax Stamps placed into a humanoid robot built from Parallax Toddler robot parts. The Big Brain's official first post was on August 5th, 2010. The Big Brain uses Propeller chips. Out of respect to its heritage and to remain compatible with ten years of development, a BASIC stamp is designed into its Brain Stem. In building humanoid robots, they were consistently lacking in two things - a long lasting battery and a powerful brain. I wasn't interested in working with battery chemicals so I chose to develop a brain. The brain began by many suggestions from Parallax Forum members. The Brain has many supporting projects posted in the Brain thread. The most recent is a Brain Wave Monitor that can see and hear the thinking of Propeller chips. The Brain led to offspring, several smaller brains, even including a controversial two prop brain in a jar that won Parallax's Project of the week. The one year mark is time to reflect on where the Brain was, is now, and where it's going. It's not over yet. The journey has only just begun. It's more about the journey than the destination - the path we choose, the things we learn and develop along the way and the new friends we make. Stay tuned. I will continue trying new and unusual things, pacing the Big Brain, making some small discoveries, and growing the artistic, creative edge. There are future treats in store for those following along...

At the second year anniversary, the Big Brain machine's state was described.

A working massive Machine Brain with over 100 Parallax Propeller chips. The Big Brain is simply a fun hobby project to run experiments and play with endless possibilities. Over 16,000 MIPS, over 3,200 I/O ports. 3 Partitions - the 3rd is a Magic Partition - holds any number of props from 1 to 50, allows removal & loan to other projects. Talk, sing, dream, learn, evolve, demonstrate Life, color TV, hearing, speech recognition, keyboard, mouse, 2 LCD displays, host boards, compatibility (Stamps, Props, PCs, Macs), sound out, mic in, stomach, Brain Base, Brain Spans, Brain Stem, EXOskeleton, multiple languages, over 100 x 64K distributed RAM/ROM, LED enabled, crystal/EEPROM supported, Mac/PC support computers, 3 TeraByte hard drives, Neural Matter Injector syncs & load props in parallel. Developed ParaP, AtOnce, EnhancedChip technologies - parallel-parallel operations, loading @ once, increase p^N, inject 100,000 Simplex Neurons. Expanding Array. Created modest RTOS - handles cogs, loading, timing, neural matter distribution. Cloning. Executes all-chip-multi-enumeration in a second. Expanding Arrays. HYBRID interface (Serial Communications, Daisy Chain Token Ring Topology, Prop to Prop, Parallel), RI Reduction Interface, AE Automatic Enumerator, Waveform Reliability Filter, No Parts Technology to reduce cost. Addendum: Medical doctor/ Human Genome Project. Offspring: Brain Child, Baby Brain, Bit Brain, and Brain in a Jar. Supporting Mac/AMD add 724 processors. TeraFLOPS computing power just under PetaFlops."

FORWARD FROM Year Three
http://humanoidolabs.blogspot.tw/search?q=anniversary

Understanding the Big Brain

The map of the Big Machine Brain Project shows a Simplex Neuron (SN) with input and outputs and three possible states of Fire, a Zero, One or Limbo state. The Injector Cell Coating represents code to inject the SN into the Propeller Array (PA). The PA is currently subdivided into three smaller arrays called Partitions. Each Partition holds a maximum of fifty populated Parallax Propeller chips. The design handles an unlimited number of Partitions based on available resources. The rule of thumb is all Partitions must be fully populated except for the last Partition. The map with three Partitions show 150 Propeller chips. The small boxes represent Propeller chips and the red dots represent SN outputs. SN input is simply held static for testing. In testing, each red dot is a dedicated LED (see photos). In SL or Simple Loading, the Injectors distribute a single SN to each chip. The SN is cloned to every Propeller. Each Propeller works in unison with every other Propeller. Clocking is not an issue during neural matter activity. Each Propeller can run its own clock. Clocking is more of an issue during Neural Matter Injection NMI when all the Propellers are in Sync and handled specifically by the Neural Injection OverLord. SNs are made to do exampling Fire in any chosen state and set outputs. All SNs work together at the same time. This is primarily what is shown in the map. What is not shown are the representations of Cogs, clocks, 4,800K of distributed memory, EEPROMs and specific distribution wiring. To gain Cogs, multiply each red dot by eight. The map represents full loading of 1,250 small RISC processors and a 150 point to point display.

UNDERSTANDING THE BIG BRAIN SERIES
UNDERSTANDING THE
BIG BRAIN
by Humanoido

Come explore the fantastic reality of the Big Brain, its inner workings, and discover things you never dreamed about!

The success of the neuro "Simplex" processor in the Big Brain machine, with all its initial simplicity, became the model for growth from the first small brain that fit in a jar to the current largest brain that takes up the space of a full room.

This is very similar to the evolution of the human neo cortex. If you zoom up onto the surface of the Neo Cortex in a biological brain, you will find that it's made up of many little modules. These are like processors in a computer only there are a million in count. They were so successful in evolution, they ended up being duplicated over and over again until the brain ran out of space.

This is what happened to the Big Brain machine. Duplication, named cloning, of successful tiny processors, replicated until the memory simply ran out of space. Actually, with Parallax Propeller chips used, it was a factor of space X2 depending on chip speed (clock cycles) and chip memory allocation. In the first brain machines, these numbers approached and then exceeded 100,000 enhanced processors.

When the human brain ran out of space, the brain began to fold in on itself creating a highly convoluted surface and shape. Processor modules began to arrange in columns for greater packing so our human brains could have more new cortical columns to pack in more complex functions.

The Big Brain machine made from Parallax Propeller chips has packed processors on multiple layers of boards, surrounding an exo shape, and using distributed connections. The human brain took billions of years to evolve, while the electrical Big Brain has evolved over approximately a decade of time, beginning with much simpler chips.

The key to the universe of understanding the human brain, and the Holy Grail of neuro science, is understanding the design of the neo cortical columns in the human brain. The crux of AI and machine intelligence is the understanding of the enhanced "VP" processors in the Big Brain machine.

It's even more, and includes the understanding of perception, understanding reality, and the physical worlds that surround the brain. In the VP processor, it can become what we make it, in terms of size, arrangement, position, quantity, and functional programming. This is of course not enough, in that it must include all the rules of communication and fundamentally design and execute its own purpose. It is this connectivity in which the VP must choose carefully which VP it will communicate with.

In the Big Brain machine, the building of VPs are actual three dimensional models and physical entities that can morph and change shape in space and time. We learned that branches can be created that intersect in tens of thousands of locations and at each of these locations a dry active synapse is formed, i.e. an electrical location where VPs can communicate with each other. These synapses together form the network, which is a circuit and a fabric that holds a specific structure and pattern.

This is made to come alive with mathematical equations and algorithms with rules of collecting information, communicating with each other, and releasing their information when they reach the Synapse. You only need a few equations to simulate, replicate and create this activity in the Neo Cortex or the VPs regio of the Big Brain machine.

As the number of VPs increase, the need for processing power increases, so more and more chips are needed. In the Big Brain machine, the singular chip was examined to rewire its internals with software to repurpose its functional abilities leading to greater functioning. Basically you extend this process of enhancing and adding chips until you have a supercomputer. This is exactly what happened to the Big Brain machine.

With over a hundred thousand processors, you can ride the magic fabric of the brains space and time and discover things you never imagined. If you zoom into this regio closer you will see electrical patterns of pure thought and if you zoom in even further, it looks like a veritable universe. Experimentally, you take these Big Brain coordinates and project them into conceptual space. If you do this, one can step inside the reality that is created by the Big Brain machine.

These points of evolution of the machine brain as described are just the beginning to become fully aware of itself, which undoubtedly is one of the first steps to the creation of a new higher order life form.

A lot more work remains to be done to test various theories and prove the functioning of higher and higher levels of activity and thought, thus developing greater levels of semi awareness and cognitive activities.

Deadly Pollution

You cannot escape this deadly pollution no matter where you live in the world. The jet stream, trade winds, and various migrations (soil, water, rain, animals, food, fish, ocean, streams, rivers, etc.) will deliver chemical poisonous pollution to you causing premature death.

DEADLY POLLUTION
When you have the worst pollution in the world, and a population of billions, a few million people who die every month may not be very noticeable, especially if your country keeps health, pollution, and death statistics secret.

Once again in our country, the trade winds have shifted from summer to fall weather, bringing in a complete cast of deadly and toxic air pollution. No matter where you live in the world, you cannot hide from the harmful effects of this pollution.

When pollution is carried down-wind across continents and affects millions of other people, and changes climate for the worse, causing increases in global warming, causing cancer, obstructing the atmosphere, and creating dire and adverse effects on ecology, ocean aquatic life, plants, oxygen generation, rising temperatures, and a greenhouse effect, it's time to act now!

The pollution is caused by manufacturing, dumping of chemicals, burning garbage, using coal and fossil fuels as energy, and destroying our natural habitat, such as cutting down trees and vital vegetation in the rain forest (from which produces the oxygen we breathe and where we gather critical life saving medicines that cannot be artificially duplicated).

You think it's fun watching people blow up things? Think again. Every fire, every explosion, burns valuable oxygen that you need to breathe and survive. Where will this lost oxygen come from? When the rainforest is gone, and global forests are completely gone, the Earth and its people will die. The Earth will become a windswept desert of sand, hot, dry, with no life.

The pollution finds its way into the ground through acid rain, into your water supply, into the trade winds that sweep across the world day and night, into the upper atmosphere and it settles on your face, your skin, inside your lungs, in the soil, and in the plants and animals you eat. You'll even lose your hair from the top down caused by your habit of walking outside.

The short term and long terms effects are dangerous. Global warming is not about raising the temperature a few degrees but rather raising temperatures higher by 10 to 20 degrees at a time. Currently the poles of the Earth contain ice as a balance to rising temperatures, but when this ice melts, the balance is gone, and temperatures could rise 50 to 100 degrees or hotter.

Scientists have a good handle on the understanding of a planet gone wild with a runaway greenhouse effect. The planet Venus was once like the Earth but now has become hot enough to melt lead on its surface. Its atmosphere has become so thick, telescopes find a difficult or impossible task to view its surface.

Every wonder why the frequency, strength and ferocity of hurricanes, tornadoes and typhoons are massively increasing? Now you know. This is a trend that will continue if runaway pollution is left to go awry.

Pollution will destroy ecosystems, destroy food supplies, end crop production, stop farming, and lead to the death of life in the ocean. It will cause a greenhouse effect run wild, where the sun's rays cannot escape from the Earth, and temperatures will continue to increase. This can destroy the protective ozone layer and ultraviolet rays will penetrate as harmful radiation, burning the skin off people who are outdoors and not protected.

Ever see someone die from pollution? It's not pretty. They develop horrendously painful cancer that eats away at the internal organs. They vomit out their internal intestines from the inside out. It's like breathing in chemical weapons. The acid will eat you away. Pollution also clogs the lungs, produces black sticky tar and pitch, causing diseases like emphysema, when one will die of a horrible suffocation. It's like being underwater and slowly drowning. It's a horrible way to die and no one can help you.

How about your eyes? It will feel like sharp knives in your eyes, horrible irritations from airborne chemicals, terrible burning, stinging like a bee sting, they turn red, water, puss emerges out in the night, blood vessels burst, and you suddenly go blind, a remaining life in the dark, without eyes, without vision...

Your skin will develop bumps, lesions, ticks, moles, extrusions, cancer and tumors and the skin cells' nucleus will become damaged and no longer be able to properly replicate, causing other cancerous manifestations and flesh eating disease. The top of your head, that is the first receptacle to pollution, will go bald, as hair thins out, losing more and more hair, if you live long enough.

So now is the time to take action! We urge everyone, everywhere, of every culture, to immediately take action. Everyone on this Earth must do their part. Only by working together can we make the Earth a better place for everyone.

STEPS TO IMMEDIATELY PUT INTO EFFECT
1) Stop cutting down the rainforest, trees and other forests
2) Stop dumpling of harmful chemicals
3) Stop burning harmful coal and fossil fuel
4) Stop burning garbage
5) Stop insideous construction of nuclear power plants in dangerous locations (earthquake, volcano, flood, tsunami, tornado, typhoon, landslide, sink hole, and hurricane zones)
6) Stop dumping in the ocean
7) Stop nuclear and other testing
8) Stop burning and blowing things up
9) Stop all manufacturing which creates harmful ingredients

A) Plant new grass, trees and forests
B) Use alternatives for energy that are not involved in burning fossil fuels (solar, wind, ocean wave, hydroelectric, earth core heat pumps, magma deposit heat extraction, volcanic heat, rain, storm energy, etc.)
C) Manufacturing emissions must be filtered, clean, safe
D) Recycle ALL garbage and all discarded items
E) Make cities with mandatory oxygen producing landscaping and vegetation (rooftops can contain small forests)
F) Implement new safe technology
G) Plan city skyscraper layouts with appropriate wind paths to decrease temperatures and the effort of which air conditioners must work
H) Launch rockets into space with alternative energy
I) Replace gas burning cars with electric cars
J) Immediately stop dependence on oil
K) Do not use products known to create deadly pollution
L) Create or take part in all recycling programs

Robot Explorer Log 11 Creating Intelligent Life

ROBOT EXPLORER - Qualifying as intelligent life? It's hard to imagine at this early stage, that a bucket of bolts and hardware, with some electrical parts thrown in for good measure, can become an intelligent life form, but this is exactly what will happen over the next several months. How long does it take to create a new life form? It doesn't take place overnight. Like the birthing process of humans, several months are required to cook up the ingredients (parts assembly) and then educate (program) the new being. This new brain may be trimmed with over 16,000 processors, controlling hundreds and thousands of functions.

SPACE - THE NEEDED FRONTIER: Run out of desk space? There's a desk next to the desk shown in the above photo, and a desk above it. So it's desk X3, yet the space is already filled and overflowing. It's the Lab's special way of gaining more work area from the same amount of space within a finite room.

ROBOT EXPLORER LOG 11
CREATING INTELLIGENT LIFE
"We're not only looking for intelligent life in the Universe, we're also creating life and sending it out into the Universe."

CREATING NEW LIFE
Creating new life forms is nothing new for the Lab. Work began in 2002 for developing a powerful new humanoid brain. This led to a life form with limited cognizance. When the Lab's first humanoid was created in 1955, it became the robot model that led ultimately to new life form experiments in the 1980s. Although these award winning robots had intelligence, they were nothing like their new counterparts after the year 2000.

LIFE EXPERIMENTS
Experiments with neural nets and new ways to enhance processor chips (Supertronic) paved the way for a more intelligent brain. Eventually, in 2013, these brains found their way into the Robot Explorer (RE), an intelligence planned for trips to the outer fringes of the Solar System, and potentially beyond. Intelligence, neural net, and life will be instilled into RE step by step.

TEN POINTS OF DEFINING LIFE
What constitutes an intelligent life form? Some precursor things to think about are 1) ability to make decisions, 2) self preservation, 3) the attainment and/or reaching toward goals and objectives, 4) autonomous behavior, 5) ability to learn, 6) ability to communicate, 7) ability to sleep and regenerate, 8) mobility, 9) self aware, and 10) ability to memorize and recall memory. In the past, it was believed that intelligent life forms needed the ability to procreate, however, we clearly know today that people who are sterile are still very much alive and qualify as life forms.

SENDING LIFE INTO THE UNIVERSE
Thus far, we've sent various intelligent life forms into space: insectronauts into Micro Space, Robots and humans into Next Space, and human astronauts into Near Space. As the distance from Earth increases, more dependence will be placed on machines that have life and can make their own decisions to explore other worlds and places in space and time.

Robot Explorer Log 10 Mission Control

Mission Control at Humanoido Labs, for Robot Explorer and sending of intelligent life to other planets at the outer fringes of the Solar System, is modestly modeled after NASA's new upgraded control center. Credit: NASA

ROBOT EXPLORER LOG 10
MISSION CONTROL
So now you've created a new life form, sent it to a new world and it's exploring the surface. You'll need a mission control center to gather its images, data, findings, and discoveries.

The Big Brain machine initiative continues to expand. Recent projects include Robot Explorer, designed to explore strange and erie new worlds at the outer fringes of the Solar System. Establishing and maintaining contact with remote robotic autonomous intelligent beings requires a control center, i.e. Mission Control, for the gathering of images and various telemetry signals for analysis.

HISTORY
The previous construction of Mission Control was a command center to control massive space telescopes and included the earthen supercomputer to conduct and make their projects possible.

NEW MISSION CONTROL
The new Mission Control is designed with several purposes, though primarily for establishing contact with autonomous intelligent beings created by the laboratory which will explore new distant worlds. 

SETUP
The current setup is a desktop proof of concept using frequencies centered around 1.2 GHz on four channels, and additional channels in the UHF, VHF range for long range wireless operations.

EXPERIMENTS
Experiments conducted include the camera eye on a robot that feeds images into a micro-miniature 1.2 GHz transmitter. The camera eye and transmitter remain on board the robot and wireless send images to the base station on one channel. This channel includes video and audio bands.

CONVERSION
The base station at Mission Control has a 1.2 GHz receiver that converts the signal to standard NTSC composite 1V p-p (AV) and feeds it into the TV. The TV has audio/video AV input.

MORE CHANNELS
A second Parallax Propeller chip, known as the sensor chip, transmits data telemetry on the VHF band USA channel 3. This is received directly by Mission Control's multi-band analog TV. Data transmitted includes information from sensors and various parameters including the condition of the robot and its decisions.

RECORDING TELEMETRY
The  TV monitor also has video out which can feed into a VCR or other digital recording device for a record of the mission's proceedings.

Robot Explorer Index

ROBOT EXPLORER INDEX
The Big Brain Initiative is building robot life to explore new worlds at the outer fringes of the Solar System. Eyes are on Saturn's rich Moon Titan, made up of wealthy natural resources (oil, mineral, hydrocarbon). Robot Explorer could also explore large asteroids in search of gold, titanium and gems. Of course the search for recent and ancient life forms could continue as well. Use this index to find many of the logs during development of this new exploratory life form.

Robot Explorer Log 12 Cold Temperature
http://humanoidolabs.blogspot.tw/2013/12/robot-explorer-cold-temperature-log-12.html

Robot Explorer Log 11 Creating Intelligent Life
http://humanoidolabs.blogspot.tw/2013/09/creating-intelligent-life.html

Robot Explorer Log 10 Mission Control
http://humanoidolabs.blogspot.tw/2013/09/robot-explorer-log-10-mission-control.html

Robot Explorer Log 9 Interplanetary TV Monitor
http://humanoidolabs.blogspot.tw/2013/09/robot-explorer-log-9-interplanetary-tv.html

Robot Explorer Log 8 Wireless Camera
http://humanoidolabs.blogspot.tw/2013/09/robot-explorer-wireless-camera_22.html

Robot Explorer Log 7 Stall Sensor
http://humanoidolabs.blogspot.tw/2013/08/robot-explorer-log-7.html

Robot Explorer Log 6 Two Propellers
http://humanoidolabs.blogspot.tw/2013/08/robot-explorer-log-6.html

Robot Explorer Log 5 Propeller Pins
http://humanoidolabs.blogspot.tw/2013/08/robot-explorer-log-5.html

Robot Explorer Log 4 Light Sensor
http://humanoidolabs.blogspot.tw/2013/08/robot-explorer-log-4.html

Robot Explorer Log 3 First Assembly
http://humanoidolabs.blogspot.tw/2013/08/robot-explorer-log-3.html

Robot Explorer Log 2 First Considerations
http://humanoidolabs.blogspot.tw/2013/08/log-2.html

Robot Explorer Log 1 the Chronicles
http://humanoidolabs.blogspot.tw/2013/08/robot-explorer-log-1.html

Robot Explorer Log 9 Interplanetary TV Monitor

INTERPLANETARY TV MONITOR FOR
ROBOT EXPLORER - LOG 9

Robot Explorer is designed to transmit images and telemetry to a base station with a monitor. The monitor receives data on TV channel 3 by analog and also requires AV input to display images from a receiver. The system gathers images from the robot on a remote solar system planet or moon.

The TV is not an easy find in Taiwan, since the country has moved from analog to digital cable and wireless stations no longer exist. Analog TVs are becoming more scarce as they are no longer made in Taiwan. So this "analog and digital" TV with multiple capability was a real find!

The Taiwan-made Poptron 5.6-inch TFT-LCD TV/Monitor, model PRVC-010, runs either in a car from the cigarette lighter adapter or a wall power supply. It receives UHF/VHF bands and American channels. It includes a whip antenna, remote, and a good array of plug in capability for AV video in and out, power, external antenna, earphone, band selector, etc. The AV is in standard NTSC composite 1v pp format. It includes a swivel mounting base stand. Controls include brightness, color, volume, on/off, and channel up down.

Uses include direct wireless reception from a Parallax Propeller chip on TV USA channel 3 for programming and a remote operations channel for telemetry. It can also direct connect by NTSC AV from a Propeller board, for programming the chip. Used with a receiver, it can display images from a miniature wireless camera and serve as a scientific monitor in a laboratory or a base station for interplanetary operations.

LINKS
http://poptron.en.ec21.com/LCD_TV--409079_409080.html

Robot Explorer Log 8 Wireless Camera

The complete wireless camera system for Robot Explorer produces the first color image in this setup test at the lab. The completed system will contain the battery supply, camera and transmitter on the robot carriage. The TV and receiver will locate at the base tracking station. The tracking station will include channels for picture and telemetry, along with a sound channel. As seen clockwise, the TV, camera, 1.2 GHz transmitter, battery pack and 1.2 GHz receiver.

A WIRELESS CAMERA SYSTEM
FOR ROBOT EXPLORER - Log 8

Robot Explorer is a new space robot designed under the Big Brain Initiative at Humanoido Labs, to explore new worlds at the outer fringes of the solar system.

One of the most important parts of the robotics system is the wireless camera. The camera will transmit live images from the surface of the planet or moon on its own channel and allow humans to watch as the robot explores a new world.

OVERVIEW
It took three months to design and gather all the parts necessary to build the wireless camera system for the Robot Explorer prototype. This system sends a TV color image by a 1.2 GHz frequency signal up to a long range base station, located up to 1,000 meters (.63 mile) in distance. The signal reaches the receiver, is decoded into the A/V NTSC composite 1V pp format and is fed to the TV's A/V input jack.

Specification page for the SONY CCD

WIRELESS CAMERA SYSTEM
The system consists of a miniature camera, camera image transmitter, camera and transmitter battery power pack, receiver and TV monitor. The TV monitor and receiver are located at the tracking station and the other parts remain within the robot. The modules are made in Taiwan. The units are prewired at the store by the store owner. It's apparent, the harness combines the battery plug with both transmitter and camera. The store owner wired the battery pack, which was purchased from another store, and provided the required power barrel end plug. Purchasing the system at the A/V store provided extra service, i.e. the entire system was wired, set up and tested. The other benefit, this is a take home system with no waiting for shipment for an unknown "working or not working" package that would require some assembly.

POSITIONING
The camera, battery pack, and transmitter are located on the robot. The receiver and TV are located at the tracking and telemetry station.

PURCHASING
The system was purchased locally at the A/V parts store. The owner provided service for putting the system together and testing it. He also wired the battery pack (purchased from another store), provided the power barrel jack, and tested it at no additional charge. Information is gathered from the store owner and a variety of sources.

MEASURING THE TRANSMITTER
The camera 1.2 GHz transmitter was measured with a frequency meter and actual respective channel frequencies were 1080, 1120, 1160 and 1200 Mhz.

COST IN NT$
$1,700 for the camera
$1,200 for the camera transmitter
$1,000 for the receiver
$2,500 for the TV monitor
$432.0 for batteries
$30.00 for the battery holder

Showing the battery pack, CCD camera with adjustable lens and the 1.2GHz transmitter. This is a custom made cable to join the camera and transmitter to a 12-volt battery power suppy.

CAMERA
Image Sensor ⅓” Sony Super HAD CCD (Sony SS11)
Horizontal Resolution 420 TV lines
Medium Resolution
S/N Ratio more than 48dB (AGC off)
Auto backlight compensation
3.6mm Adjustable lens
LUX (.5 LUX @ f/1.2) Color
Effective Pixels NTSC 512(H) x 492(V)
Power Supply DC 12V
Power Draw @ 110 mA
Video Out 1Vp-p  75 ohm
Operating Temperature -10 deg. C to +55
Storage Temp -30 C to +60
Dimension 35mm x 35mm (less swivel base)
Weight 240g
Model (IAS-35XT42) Taiwan
http://www.intex.com.tw/detail.php?PID=52

TRANSMITTER
Frequency 1.2 Ghz (1200 Mhz)
Channels 4 (increments of 40)
Output Power 700mW
Range (1000m line of sight)
Battery 12 volt
Weight
Dimensions

The receiver is part of the base station that feeds live video transmitted from the camera. It feeds the 1.2 GHz signal into a converter resulting in A/V NTSC composite video out. It has a choice of 4 channels using one slide switch. The AV signal can be recorded on a VCR or camcorder with AV input record capability.

RECEIVER
Receiver TR-1500
Power 12Vdc
4 channels
CH1 = 910MHz, CH2 = 980MHz, CH3 = 1010MHz, CH4 = 1040MHz
AV Video Out NTSC 1V pp composite
1.2GHz
Video input : RCA*1 composite video 1 Vp-p, 75Ω
Video output : RCA*1 composite video 1 Vp-p, 75Ω
Audio output : RCA*1
Antenna : Dipole
Operation Temperature : -5degree to 45 degree
Operation Humidity 5% TO 85%
Dimensions : 130mm*80mm*23 mm (without antenna)
Weight : 263 g
Consumption : 12VDC 350mA
Connection : White - Audio, Yellow - Video 

CAVEAT
Even if the cable looks good with shrink wrap covering the connection, it's likely the two wires were only twisted together and not soldered. If an intermittent open connection occurs, it will not be surprising. Just strip the tubing and wiring, add new tubing, solder it together and shrink the tubing.

LINKS
http://www.dronesvision.net/en/wireless-av/44-racewood-900mhz-wireless-av-receiver-vrx-for-fpv-wireless-cctv-cameras-green-label.html

http://www.goodluckbuy.com/cctv-900tr-1500-0-9ghz-a-v-mini-receiver-box-manual-4ch.html

http://www.rc-cam.com/forum/index.php?/topic/3672-comtech-tuner-module-upgrade/

Harness Wind Power

HARNESS WIND POWER
for your mobile robots and science projects

This windmill is created from a battery operated fan, purchased from a dollar store. Keep the two AA batteries and connect filter capacitors and a back EMF diode across the terminals. The generator power dynamo will generate a DC voltage proportional to the turning speed of the turbine as determined by the force of the wind. These wind harnessing generators are idea for trickle charging a battery pack when there is insufficient sunlight to power solar cells but strong enough wind to turn the fins.

The finished design includes adding a tail so the propellers will continue to face the wind during changing wind direction. These mini windmills can be added together in series to generate more power. The one shown is a 3-volt unit and includes the batteries and a power switch at the base. The windmill is portable and works well when placed on outdoor mobile robots which are heavy enough to avoid tipping.

Timeout for Sunrise

TIMEOUT FOR SUNRISE AT THE LAB
includes not only the colorful sunrise but the planet Jupiter rising above Taipei 101. Priceless.

Brain Printing

Printed android head is coming to life: Source MakerBot

BRAIN PRINTING
3D printers are the new revolution and fast changing the world! It's becoming the Star Trek replicator. You can replicate more than food, more than Picard's favorite Earl Gray Hot, and its likely 3D printers will become part of almost every technology in the near future.

— how soon before we can print microprocessors? —

When printing evolves to include microprocessors, a boom in machines will spring forth. Why not? Already special materials are capable of being printed, to include human organs. The union of biotech, microtech, and 3D printing will lead to an explosion of new artificial brains.

Printing mech robots: Source thinglab

Already, humanoid robots are climbing the ladder of evo, beginning to serve mankind, performing work duties, and integrating with simple tasks in society. How soon will it be when we can print tens of thousands of workers to grow our food, build our homes and obsolete the necessity for money?

Today, 3D printers can print nearly every mechanical part in a robot, including the printed circuit boards. Every day, new apps are designed for 3D printers.

...Rated by some as the next new renaissance in science and technology, along with the car, the computer, the internet and now the 3D Printer.... 

— replicators, coming to a store near you... —

Printed leg: human part

Humanoids will print themselves, their own replacement parts, do their own assembly, print their own brains, allowing humans to reach far greater potentials without the concern of money, housing, and transportation.

Things from the future? Advanced strange parts from the best of science fiction? Take a look at the photo below, showing that our dreams about the future can be brought into the current time reality. This is only the beginning.

3D Printing
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3D_printing

Makerbot
http://www.makerbot.com/

Cube
http://cubify.com/cube/

Advanced printing brings forth a spectacular part from the future: Source MakerBot

RepRap
http://reprap.org/wiki/Main_Page


Exploding Technology
http://qz.com/106483/3d-printing-will-explode-in-2014-thanks-to-the-expiration-of-key-patents/

Star Trek Replicator
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Replicator_%28Star_Trek%29

Printed Robot
http://www.techwench.com/the-pros-and-cons-of-3d-printing/

September International Robotics Trophy Award

Recognizing outstanding individuals in robotics, invention, and computing science: September 2013 - Eric Ostendorff

Eric Ostendorff with a Parallax Scribbler robot

                                                                   

Eric Ostendorff 
Winner of Humanoido Lab's International Robotics Trophy Award
for outstanding contributions in the field of robotics and contributing science to Humanoido Laboratories

There's undoubtedly a time an a place for everything in the universe. Humanoido Labs has taken this time to recognize outstanding individuals in various fields of Science as directly observed by the Lab.

While we want to recognize numerous people, we can only make presentations one at a time. The person chosen for this award is not only gifted with great intelligence and continuing ingenuity, but is also tempered with patience, dedication, helpfulness, friendliness, and has qualities of being polite, courteous, civil, and respectful towards others - qualities which are sometimes difficult to find in today's fast competitive world.

— is there an equal to the mind of Einstein? We think yes! —

Eric is known as Erco on the Parallax Forum. He is also known for his innovation with brilliant robotics projects and a line of inspiring robots which he designed and built. Erco's humor has brightened the days of many people who read his voluminous postings. His many outstanding articles in Robot Magazine and his helping and volunteering status, sharing an abundance of technical information, being generous, and going out of his way to help others are many feathers in his well populated cap, paving the way towards a legacy that will be remembered far into the future.

One of many Ostendorff patents

LEFT: Ostendorff Patent, wrist activated weapons firing exoskeleton suit

Erco uses clever thinking and inventiveness to create toys making children happy across the world.

He has developed a new purveyance of looking at the world with uniqueness of vision, even with simplicity to make the world a better place for others.

He has popularized less costly robot construction materials, for example. In particular, he has pointed out new functions for existing robotics sensors and ascribed multiple solutions to specific robotic needs. His problem solving capabilities are appreciated not only by new entrances to the field of robotics, but to masters as well.

Erco has continually researched parts suppliers and revealed key information about good deals to the followers of the Parallax Forum, helping make many projects affordable and "doable." He has accrued more than enough additional points to win this months award.

Hot Wheels Master

"Eric Ostendorff is a senior staff designer for Hot Wheels®, creating innovative Hot Wheels® toys. Since joining Mattel in 1983, he has designed and developed successful and innovative track sets that are fun to play with, such as Gorilla Attack™, Terrordactyl, Formula Circle™ and his first Hot Wheels® track set – Leapin’ Demons™. Prior to joining Mattel, Ostendorff worked as an engineer at Pratt & Whitney Jet Aircraft Engines. His expertise was used to create engines for F-15 and F-16 aircrafts. He graduated from Virginia Tech University with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering. Ostendorff’s motivation to work for Mattel was so strong, that he secured his interview by claiming he had created a “revolutionary invention,” although he had not yet created it. However, his background of growing up in a family of designers and experience from Pratt & Whitney helped him in making an electro-mechanical flight simulator, a “revolutionary invention” at the time of the interview. The innovation showcased his skill set in design, mechanics and electronics, helping him to secure the very next job opening at Mattel." SOURCE: http://www.hotwheelsmedia.com/i/designers/eric-ostendorff