He found that robots that started off as snake-like

It's a concept that Josh Bongard now applies to robots. Most robotics engineers aim at creating a robot capable of walking and then teaching it to do so. Bongard is creating robots without the capacity for walking and teaching them to crawl first, demonstrating how morphological change can help design better robots. The results of his study were replica Jaeger LeCoultre Master Ultra Thin watch published in the January 10 edition of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.The test this concept, Bongard created a sophisticated computer simulation in which generations of robots ran a genetic algorithm that saw them testing out various methods of locomotion in order to reach a light placed at the other end of a virtual plain. The key is for the robots to reach the light without tipping over.

He found that robots that started off as snake-like creatures unable to stand upright and evolved in stages into robots capable of moving on all four legs learned to move much faster than those with full capabilities from the start.”The snake and reptilian robots are, in essence, training wheels,” says Bongard, “they allow evolution to find motion patterns quicker, because those kinds of robots can't fall over. So evolution only has to solve the replica Jaeger LeCoultre Master Geographic watch movement problem, but not the balance problem, initially. Then gradually over time it's able to tackle the balance problem after already solving the movement problem.”Once the computer simulation was finished, Bongard put his findings to the test in the real world.

“We built a relatively robot, out of a couple of Lego Mindstorm kits, to demonstrate that you actually could do it,” he says. This physical robot is four-legged, like in the simulation, but the Lego creature wears a brace on its front and back legs. “The brace gradually tilts the robot,” as the controller searches for successful movement patterns, replica Jaeger LeCoultre Reverso Date watch Bongard says, “so that the legs go from horizontal to vertical, from reptile to quadruped.”While the brace is bending the legs, the controller is causing the robot to move around, so it's able to move its legs, and bend its spine,” he says, “it's squirming around like a reptile flat on the ground and then it gradually stands up until, at the end of this movement pattern, it's walking like a coyote.”

Do a YouTube search for walking robots

If this is an invitation, it's still to an exclusive party.But I was pleasantly surprised to read the praise for NBA 2K11's role-playing game qualities. I may have missed an opportunity in my advocacy. Stephen's praise of the controls also points replica brand watches out something many sports gamers take for granted annually.On NBA 2K11's behalf, I'll consider that it this far before losing is still a tremendous achievement. But Jordan himself, if this were one of his seven playoff years without a championship, wouldn't take that for much of a compliment. He'd come back next year more determined than ever. I hope NBA 2K12 - and all sports games - will too.

This is the first of four debates surrounding our final choice for 2010's game of the year. All four will run this week. The winner will be announced Monday."The people who make FarmVille and CItyVille (Zynga) now own the people who make Drop replica watch gift (Area/Code). The result: Area/Code is now Zynga New York and the game-design credentials of Zynga just got another upgrade."Why do human children learn to walk so much easier than robots do? Because babies learn to crawl before they walk. University of Vermont robotics expert Josh Bongard demonstrates how robots develop faster when their bodies change with their brains.

Walking is harder than it looks. Do a YouTube search for walking robots and you'll see all sorts of slow-moving, oddly-gaited machines attempting to mimic human movement and failing. There's a complexity to the way our muscles and joints work together to propel us forward that is hard to translate into mechanical minds. Funny that it's so even a replica Jaeger LeCoultre 1608420 Men's Watch child can do it.The key to our mastery of moving on two legs might stem from the way we develop. Babies are born without the capability of standing on their own two feet, so they first learn to crawl. This teaches them the basics of locomotion, and by the time they're ready to make their first two-legged trips they've already got that down.

I played a few games with known

I played a few games with known, pro-players, including Jordan, but what really captivated me about the game was the notion of starting from nothing and learning and earning my way to a top position in the draft.I know this isn't a first for a basketballer, but it's the first time it's been combined with so polished an experience. But it's still a very specific core, inwardly looking experience. It may be at the top of its game, replica IWC 3723-04 Men's Watch it's a game that is often an overwhelming experience, one that seems to embrace just how insular it is.And I completely disagree with the notion that the latest Call of Duty, Rockstar epic or top role-playing game somehow skates on gamers' expectations of a transformative work. The difference here is that 2K11 is built around a set of rules that rarely change.

Michael McWhertor's ReplyAs the champion of 2009's game of the year outlier, Demon's Souls, I sympathize with your plight in arguing for NBA 2K11. If I could approach this basketball simulation as a role-playing game, one in which I was somewhat invested, we'd share a mutual appreciation of the game's merits.Unfortunately, the replica IWC 3723-01 Men's Watch opportunity to role-play as one of the sport's most accomplished athletes holds no special meaning for me. With no emotional attachment or nostalgia for Michael Jordan, the Chicago Bulls, or their dynasty, I find myself simply playing an enjoyably accurate sports game, but experiencing none of the emotive, immersive qualities of 2010's other nominees.

While I was fascinated by the depth and breadth of NBA 2K11, as a sports game rookie, my enjoyment suffered from diving into a well-established franchise that I found unfriendly to those without basketball simulation expertise.What swiss replica watches made me appreciate was the vocabulary I've established playing non-sports games. Sports sims are a language I do not yet speak. I haven't been convinced that this is a game worthy of my vote, but it has been a fine introduction to a genre more worthy of my attention.Owen Good's RebuttalAdmittedly, this nominee was our longest shot and the one most vulnerable to one's taste in games and broader lifestyle. Luke's rebuttal stings but rings true. NBA 2K11 doesn't pull far enough away from the assumption that interest in a sport equals familiarity with or proficiency in it.

For a sports game to be truly worthy

I'm not much of a sports gamer, but I can appreciate the excellence of NBA 2K11. The gameplay is slick and addictive. The atmosphere is second-to-none. The presentation rivals broadcast television. Hell, I spent a half hour building my custom baller for the game's My Player career mode. Packed with modes and special features, it's a replica IWC 5022-18 Men's Watch ridiculously deep sports game.In the end, however, I have to agree with Luke. The game's surprising depth makes it far too easy for a basketball novice like myself to get lost in a sea of game terminology that I just don't understand.

For a sports game to be truly worthy of Game of the Year, it needs to cater to all gamers - not just those already familiar with the subject matter.Stephen Totilo's ReplyI occasionally agitate for a Best Controls awards category to become standard across all gaming awards galas, because good controls are more valuable than good graphics, replica IWC 3758-11 Men's Watch good sound effects or good just about anything else. So I'm praising NBA 2K11's controls as among 2010's best. They feel good.I'm also praising 2K11 as one of the year's best role-playing games, partially because I refuse to consider the “role-playing game” classification the way tradition has defined it. No, I will stubbornly adhere to the way the English language defines it.

NBA 2K11, in letting me play as Michael Jordan across a series of historically accurate games of elite basketball, enables me to believably inhabit the sneakers of a a real man whose physical accomplishments were damn near super-human. It's more fun to Be Mike than to Be Like Mike.

But given basketball games' trajectory toward matching the replica IWC 3758-03 Men's Watch realism of basketball or a basketball broadcast, I can't consider even as polished a basketball video game as this as anything more than an incomplete advance toward a distant goal. I can't help but hold the example of what it aspires to be but is not against it, killing its chance of getting my GOTY vote.Brian Crecente's ReplyThat's funny, I see this as a role-playing game too. That was the biggest draw for me this time around.

this seller also has the original Rolex box and two miscellaneous

this seller also has the original Rolex box and two miscellaneous documents that came with the watch when it was originally sold. This watch is a replica Tag Heuer watches collector's dream, and as such it won't come cheap.The last one we found for you was being sold for around 13,000 Euros, and this one is POA, so we're going to guess this watch will cost you close to $20,000.Click here for this odd and interesting, Tiffany signed Rolex Tru-Beat with original box and s (of some sort).Hodinkee in Rolex, Rolex Tru-Beat, Vintage Tuesday, January 6, 2009 at 9:25AM 

Heres what theyve got in store for next year.MTB Control For its full-suspension race and all-mountain bikes (the Spark and Genius, respectively), Scott is introducing a three-way handlebar mounted lever called Twinloc that controls both front and replica watch gift rear shocks. The first position leaves both shocks fully open, the second leaves the front fork fully open while limiting travel in the rear, and the third locks out both.

Its about as easy as shifting gears, and after two days on the stuff, Im sold. Our rides have switched from long, steady climbs to technical ski-resort descents to fire-road approaches, and the Twinloc let me quickly toggle between the ideal suspension setups for the given terrain. It will be available on all Scott dual-suspension bikes next yearfort swiss replica watches The CR1, Scotts original road-racing frame, gets a full makeover for 2010 and will now sit squarely in the comfort-performance category.