The Golden Ratio Course

Stephen Wolfram’s book A New Kind of Science offers an interesting view on the phenomenon of complexity. In his book it is demonstrated how systems based on very simple rules can generate complex patterns that appear random in many ways. We will make a tour trough his examples, try to understand his claims and do some experiments ourselves.

We will deepen our understanding of complexity and ways to exploit it or master it. This module is not a substitution for the classical mathematical skills of symbolic manipulation in algebra and calculus. However, we shall use the computer-math tool Mathematica, which is a very powerful tool for all kinds of math, not only the cellular automata of Wolfram’s “A New Kind of Science”. Continue reading “The Golden Ratio Course”

New Publication: The asymmetry between discoveries and inventions in the Nobel Prize in Physics

We published a new article in the Technoetics Arts journal:

Bartneck, C., Rauterberg, M. (2008). The asymmetry between discoveries and inventions in the Nobel Prize in Physics. Technoetic Arts: a Journal of Speculative Research, 6(1), 73-77. DOI: 10.1386/tear.6.1.73_1

Abstract – This paper presents an empirical study on the frequency of discoveries and inventions that were awarded with the. More than 70 per cent of all Nobel Prizes were given to discoveries. The majority of inventions were awarded at the beginning of the twentieth century and only three inventions had a direct application for society. The emphasis on discoveries moves the Nobel Prize further away from its original intention to reward the greatest contribution to society in the preceding year. We propose to strengthen the role of inventions for the Nobel Prize, which would encourage inventors to tackle important problems, such as global warming or the gap between the first and the third worlds.

DOI: 10.1386/tear.6.1.73_1 | CITEULIKE: 2687653
HTML: http://www.bartneck.de/publications/2008/nobel/

ResearchBlogging.org

Neural Network Manager for Lego Mindstorms NXT

The Neural Network manager for NXT is a Java Graphical User Interface which allows Lego fans to easily create, manage and train a neural network which can be exported and used in any program to be designed to run on the LEGO NXT. The total system comprises of two main parts, a UI running on the NXT and the Neural Network Manager running on the PC. The Neural network is created by the Neural Network Manager and can once trained be exported to a Java file that should be compiled and uploaded to the NXT. The NXT side of the system handles the I/O with the sensors (in our application the LEGO Sound sensor) and the communication with the PC. It pre-processes the data and sends it to the PC side via a bluetooth or USB connection. Continue reading “Neural Network Manager for Lego Mindstorms NXT”