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                EE380 Computer Systems Colloquium

                      Spring Quarter 1995-1996

                          Lecture #7

 Date:          Wednesday, May 15,1996

 Time:          4:15-5:30 pm

 Location:      Hewlett-Packard Auditorium (B01)
                Gates Computer Science Building

 SITN:          Wednesday, Channel E4, 7:00-8:15 pm

 Speaker:       Steve Roberts, Nomadic Research Labs

 Title:         BEHEMOTH (Big Electronic Human-Energized Machine)


                        ABSTRACT

 BEHEMOTH (Big Electronic Human-Energized Machine... Only Too Heavy) is an
 autonomous mobile computing platform, designed specifically to support
 full-time nomadics while in constant communication with the Internet.
 On-board resources include a Macintosh front-end, two DOS environments,
 distributed FORTH controllers, and a SPARCstation for CAD and mapping.
 Using satellite, cellular, and packet data communications tools, Roberts
 has covered 17,000 miles under human power, running an active publishing
 and consulting business all the while.  The 580-pound bicycle includes a
 heads-up display, handlebar keyboard, head mouse, helmet cooling, 105
 speeds, a complete ham radio station, GPS satellite navigation, extensive
 security, a CD stereo system, speech synthesis, and much more.

 During this event, Roberts will describe BEHEMOTH, beginning with
 an overview of the entire adventure and covering the system with a level of
 technical detail tailored to the audience.  His talks are peppered with
 amusing anecdotes from the road, and a generous Q&A period is provided.  In
 addition, he will discuss lessons learned from the design and how they are
 affecting the new system, while also touching on the more philosophical
 issues of art and engineering... passion... and how the liberating tools
 integrated into this project can map onto the lives of others.


                        BIOGRAPHY

 High-tech nomad Steven K. Roberts pedaled 17,000 miles around the United
 States on a computerized recumbent bicycle that allowed him to remain
 network-connected while wandering freely.  This complex blend of adventure
 and technology inevitably led to books, hundreds of articles, and
 consulting spinoffs -- and Roberts is now retiring $1.2 million BEHEMOTH to
 build an aquatic system known as the Microship.  He will launch this
 folding solar trimaran in 1997, embarking on an open-ended international
 journey with his lifemate, Faun Skyles.

 Prior to Steve's nomadics, he operated a consulting engineering business in
 the midwest and published three books on microprocessor-based industrial
 control system design.  After casting off the bonds of the suburban
 American dream to live a life based on passion, electronics became a
 liberating tool instead of a business.  His technomadic machines represent
 the integration of technology from hundreds of industry sponsors and
 creative volunteers, and his once-radical notion of "nomadic connectivity"
 has become a fast-growing trend as computer and communication tools become
 smaller and more powerful.  "Once you move to the Net," he says, "your
 physical location becomes irrelevant."

 Roberts is currently based in Silicon Valley, working full-time on the
 Microship and periodically taking a break to do a speaking tour with
 BEHEMOTH.