Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!pacific.mps.ohio-state.edu!linac!att!pacbell.com!lll-winken!ingrid!loren From: loren@ingrid.llnl.gov (Loren Petrich) Newsgroups: comp.ai Subject: Re: Shooting pigeons Message-ID: <93995@lll-winken.LLNL.GOV> Date: 27 Mar 91 00:32:36 GMT References: <4754@syma.sussex.ac.uk> Sender: usenet@lll-winken.LLNL.GOV Organization: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Lines: 47 Nntp-Posting-Host: ingrid.llnl.gov In article ted@nmsu.edu (Ted Dunning) writes: >In article moskowit@paul.rutgers.edu (Len Moskowitz) writes: > I'm surprised that no one has pointed out that this problem has been > addressed and solved very nicely using traditional ( non-AI) > technologies. No AI is needed to track a ballistic target, determine > its centroid, and to aim and fire a weapon. Tracking and aiming may be relatively straightforward, but one has to first recognize the target. And that's where the AI comes in. >well, I'm surprised that nobody has pointed out that for shooting clay >pigeons, you don't even have to track them, you just have to point the >gun where they are _going_ to be, and pull the trigger at the right >time. But that is EXACTLY what one has to find out in the first place. Where the Clay Pigeon is. >if you are willing to take an `engineering' approach to the problem as >opposed to an `ai' approach, then you can set up a simple >photoelectric detector which will determine when the pigeon is >released, wait for a small bit, and pull the trigger. >and, of course, this is cheating. that is what engineering is all >about, redefining impossible problems so they have practical >solutions. But what if one could not set up a "clay pigeon detector" in this fashion? That's what the original posting was all about. And cheating is cheating. $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ Loren Petrich, the Master Blaster: loren@sunlight.llnl.gov Since this nodename is not widely known, you may have to try: loren%sunlight.llnl.gov@star.stanford.edu