🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <9547@pt.cs.cmu.edu> hmp@cive.ri.cmu.edu (Henning Pangels) writes:
>... Remember, the objective is a sample-return mission,
>so just running around the surface of the planet and transmitting pictures
>isn't quite good enough. Even retrieving a bunch of small rocks and dust
>samples doesn't tell the whole story.

Has any work been done on cooperative minibots? It would seem that half
a dozen mini rovers could get together and bring a particularly interesting
rock back to a collection site of reasonable size (football sized). 
However this would require a slightly more complex algorithim on the
part of the rovers to the extent that there would be a "I've got something
neat, come help" type of transmission that would alter the nearby 
rovers programming to come help it. 

On a different subject entirely, a couple of companies have been 
developing and are now bringing to market samples of programmable
logic devices that are essentially "RAM" programmed, ie that can
be changed easily in place. Has anyone done any work on self configuring
or self repairing sensor/interface studies based on this? Is this
a reasonable thesis topic? Enquiring minds want to know!


--
--Chuck McManis						    Sun Microsystems
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These opinions are my own and no one elses, but you knew that didn't you.
"I tell you this parrot is bleeding deceased!"