This desktop demonstration circuit produces eerily lifelike behavior. Watch as a wooden arm swats at objects whenever they draw near.
This project uses a simple 555 timer chip and a feedback loop to control a servo-controlled wooden arm. Whenever an object comes close to a photosensor mounted on the end of the arm, it blocks the amount of light detected, which triggers the arm to swat the object away.
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This project is a great example of a cybernetic, or "self-governing" system. These kinds of systems have been around since the steam age (check out fly-ball governors for an early example of the technology).
With this kind of analog robotic control system. remarkably human-like behaviour can be obtained without the need for complex digital programming.
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