Do not be fooled by Robosapien’s toyish look. This muscled storm trooper packs a lot of advanced robotic theory beneath its tough guy exterior.

Robosapien is a modern day turning point in the evolution of robotics and is the first-ever robot based on the science of applied biomorphic robotics. Biomorphic robotics stems from Mark Tildens innovative new concepts in BEAM technology.

The creator of the Robosapien, Mark Tilden, helped define BEAM as an acronym for Biology, Electronics, Aesthetics, and Mechanics. The idea was to build a sensor based robot instead of these complex CPU driven robots that cost thousands of dollars.

Put another way, traditional approaches to creating robots have started with creating a sophisticated brain to maneuver the mechanics of the body. Though not discounting the incredible engineering feats of robots built this way, most notably the Sony Qrio and Honda Asimo, Mark Tilden strongly contends that this is the wrong approach to take.

Mark compares the traditional approach of building robots as trying to copy a human when we can not even copy a single cell organism yet! Mark refers to this as the “evolutionary dead end”. The science of BEAM robotics that he founded in 1989 is all about using a bottom up approach of first mastering a single cell organism and then moving up the evolutionary ladder from there.

So what BEAM technology set out to do was to avoid creating a centralized robot brain to process every variable of input and then to output a decision. Instead, BEAM technology uses what is known as subsumption architecture where the actions of a robot are managed in layers and by its sensors. Each layer controls one facet of the robot’s entire operation.

For example, a low-level layer could be ‘Walk Forward,’ which the robot will happily do until it bumps into something. At this point, the slightly higher level ‘Lift Leg Higher’ kicks in, overriding the ‘Walk Forward’ layer until the robot successfully climbs over the obstacle, at which point ‘Lift Leg Higher’ stops, and the low-level ‘Walk Forward’ takes over again.

Selfish Bugs

So Tilden began building robot bugs on this principle, and more selfish creatures they could not have been.

Why were they selfish you say? Mark did not really agree with Asimov’s popular Three Laws of Robotics:

1. No hurt human.

2. Listen to human unless told ‘Do hurt human’.

3. Live and deal with it. Someone should have given Asimov a happy pill or something.

So the evil genius known as Dr. Hyde, I mean Mark Tilden, made up his own Three Laws of Robotics:

1. You are a robot and you are number 1 baby. You need to look out for yourself and to protect your own existence at all costs.

2. You eat power therefore obtain and maintain access to power at all times.

3. A robot must continually search for better power sources.

So in street terms:

1. Protect yourself at all costs.

2. Feed thy self.

3. Move thy self to better real estate.

He justified this robotic declaration of self-interest as the only way robots can start evolving the way humans may have came from guppies looking for a good time by leaving the ocean.

From Bugs to Sapiens

So after leaving the government and NASA, Mark found a job at a toy company who wanted to use his cheaper method of building robots, subsumption architecture, as a way to bring affordable robots to consumers. That company is Wow Wee.

Then came Robosapien. This amazing robot with cool moves and sounds was hundreds of dollars less than any other biped humanoid robot on the market.

Robosapien demonstrates the basics of BEAM philosophy and research. B because it is a biomorphic rendition of a human, E because you shall not throw it in a sink of water, A because it looks hot, and M because it can really dance.

Meet Mr. Sapien

No other robot has ever been made that is so affordable. Robosapien is the world’s cheapest mobile, humanoid robot. It can also be hacked.

Robosapien has biomorphic shoulder joints capable of 360 degree motion. The hand has three fingers that allow this robot to grip, pick up, and even throw objects. This biped robot has real full walking motion which is rare for biped robots outside a lab.

If you have ever owned a robot before, then you know how many batteries these little battery hogs eat up. A typical walking robot will last about an hour on a set of batteries. Robosapien will last for up to 10 hours on a set of batteries! The excellent mechanical physics design is why the Robosapien uses less power as well as the fact that it has no energy intensive CPU to feed. For example did you know that if you move Robosapiens arm you generate power for it? Cool stuff.

If you are looking for a robot that will cook your dinner and wash your toilet you are going to have to wait until later versions come out. But you can still do neat things with the Robosapien like have it wander around punching things or even guarding your bedroom. It also has a fun game of pull my finger.

You might be wondering what is so cool about hacking the robot. Well Mark designed the robot to be hacked for robot enthusiasts. You can easily take this robot apart and mess with it.

There are even books on how to hack the Robosapien. Yeah, you might be thinking, if I had a degree in electrical engineering or something. Not so. The inside of the Robosapien is all color coded so you easily know what part does what. If you have a good hack for your Robosapien, send it in and I will publish it.

Almost Forgot

Whenever you see a Robosapien, remember that it is the world’s first robot based on the science of biomorphic robots. Then go harass your bird with it.

I hope you enjoy a little about the history of robotics and the Robosapien. For more about the Robosapien go to buy robosapien

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