The short version
Archival robot demonstration showing complex behavior from simple light-and-touch sensing circuits.
From the HackerLinks archive
Grey Walter's robot turtles video
Archival robot demonstration showing complex behavior from simple light-and-touch sensing circuits.
At a glance:
First seen:2026-11-01
Last seen:2026-11-01
Times seen:1
Website:youtube.com
Why it caught our attention
A direct watch recommendation adds historical context to analog robotics experiments.
Where it surfaced on Hacker News
2026-11-01
“Watch the video.[2] It's very impressive for 1948 and tube technology. If you've seen an original Roomba, you've seen a similar level of intelligence. Rod Brooks went down this road. But it didn't go very far. There are severe limits to purely reactive robotics. It doesn't work well for anything that moves fast enough that inertia matters.”
Animats · recommendation
Direct HN comment
Simple circuits can create complex behaviors
Also surfaced in this discussion
Photovore BEAM robot
Simple circuits can create complex behaviors
2026-11-01