What is a BEAM Neuron? What is a BEAM Nervous Network?
Many BEAM robots feature artificial nervous systems made up of BEAM neurons. A BEAM neuron is a resistor-capacitor network and a logic gate. Generally the logic gate is an inverter or buffer, but other gates may be used. A number of artificial neurons can be combined into BEAM Nervous Networks or Nv Nets. This forms a non-linear analog controller that can be used for rovers and walking machines. An excerpt from “Biomorphic Robots and Nervous Net Research: A New Machine Control Paradigm” by Mark W. Tilden Using Nv nets, highly successful legged robot mechanisms have been demonstrated which can negotiate terrains of inordinate difficulty for wheeled or tracked machines. That non-linear systems can provide this degree of control is not so surprising as the part counts for successful [Nv]] designs. A fully adept insect-walker, for example, can be fully controlled and operated with as little as 12 standard [transistor]] elements.
