Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!jarthur!usc!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!pt.cs.cmu.edu!dac From: dac@weed.frc.ri.cmu.edu (Daniel Christian) Newsgroups: comp.robotics Subject: Re: Wireless Computer Communication Message-ID: Date: 25 May 90 02:20:19 GMT References: <9352@pt.cs.cmu.edu> <$B^$N*%@ads.com> <398@valideast.COM> <35622@sequent.UUCP> Organization: Field Robotic Center, CMU Lines: 16 In-reply-to: coryc@sequent.UUCP's message of 23 May 90 19:46:43 GMT Be careful about switching to optical means in a radioactive envirionment. Most optical sensors are just as sensitive to radiation as light. Many device (e.g. optical encoders, opto isolators, CCD cameras) become saturated by radiation. This is one of the reasons the rad hard systems tend to be very simple and often are tethered. The robots used in TMI were all tethered. The robots used at Cherenoble (sp?) were mostly simple radio control systems. NOTHING is easy in radioactive environments... Dan Christion Field Robotics Center Carnegie Mellon University dac@ri.cmu.edu