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Author Topic: Cybernetics  (Read 2202 times)

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Offline JdogTopic starter

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Cybernetics
« on: February 24, 2009, 07:41:56 PM »
Lately I've been searching around for possible divisions of robotics to possibly make a career out of and I've been becoming very interested in cybernetics and things along those lines. I was wondering if anyone knew much about the subject i.e. top schools, difficulty level, is there anyway I could experiment with it without performing surgery on myself :P, etc.

Offline Webbot

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Re: Cybernetics
« Reply #1 on: February 24, 2009, 09:07:43 PM »
I studied Cybernetics and Control Engineering here in the UK. At the time (late 1970s) only 2 universities did the course. I went to Reading (where Prof Warwick now works - the guy who is always implanting stuff into his limbs!).

I went into it coz I was interested in robotics BUT the course was much wider than I had imagined (not sure about now). It was basically a mix of most engineering disciplines (electrical / electronic / mechanical / chemical / software etc etc) so electronics/robots was only a small element of the total. At the time the definition was 'the study of feedback in man and machine' which meant we even had boring lectures on stuff like studying 'towns and communities' which (just like a servo) can become unstable - no jobs, everyone moves out, property prices drop, everyone moves back in, etc.... So 'town planners' had to understand how to grow a town without it becoming unstable.

On the plus side: we did lots of cool stuff in the electronics practicals. It was around the time when airplanes were changing from hydraulics to 'fly by wire'.  Even our tutor said that some of them would fall out of the sky until it all got debugged. I used to fly a lot at the time (parents lived overseas) so that made me a bit nervous!!  The challenge I particularly enjoyed was creating a servo to keep a (virtual) tank barrel at the correct elevation to hit a target whilst the tank is bouncing over bumpy terrain. Maybe all seems a bit simple now with these 'new fangled microprocessor things' - bit harder with just basic components!

So ... check out any course content very thoroughly. You may think cybernetics = cyborg but that may NOT be what the course is about, But if you find a good one then go for it, enjoy!
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Re: Cybernetics
« Reply #2 on: February 25, 2009, 10:50:25 AM »
Look into 'bio-engineering'. It combines biology with engineering stuff, and is something you can get a degree in.

That being said, in the last 3 days I've met a bunch of people working on cybernetics. I think I've learned enough now that I can control mice with my Axon (I'm being serious).

Also, I got to see a mouse on Sunday with a brain implant. I got video, but will take a few weeks before I get it onto the SoR youtube account. Apparently Thailand is one of those places people go when the animal rights laws prevent research in their home countries . . .

Offline Webbot

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Re: Cybernetics
« Reply #3 on: February 25, 2009, 12:14:08 PM »
Look out for all the new forum posts regarding 'I have modified my pet mouse - but how do I center it?'  :D
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Offline JdogTopic starter

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Re: Cybernetics
« Reply #4 on: February 25, 2009, 08:42:11 PM »
Look into 'bio-engineering'. It combines biology with engineering stuff, and is something you can get a degree in.

That being said, in the last 3 days I've met a bunch of people working on cybernetics. I think I've learned enough now that I can control mice with my Axon (I'm being serious).

Also, I got to see a mouse on Sunday with a brain implant. I got video, but will take a few weeks before I get it onto the SoR youtube account. Apparently Thailand is one of those places people go when the animal rights laws prevent research in their home countries . . .
That's exactly what I'm interested in but is that all to the topic or just a minor part?
Look out for all the new forum posts regarding 'I have modified my pet mouse - but how do I center it?'  :D
LOL :D

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Re: Cybernetics
« Reply #5 on: February 26, 2009, 04:42:34 AM »
Quote
That's exactly what I'm interested in but is that all to the topic or just a minor part?
Back in the day, people would only focus on one specific topic, say chemistry, mechanics, biology, medicine, etc. Technology was simple and basic.

But today that just doesn't happen anymore. Technology has gotten so complex that you need many experts from many unrelated fields working together to achieve the common goal. Its called interdisciplinary research.

Robotics is a perfect example. Cybernetics is another.

If you are interested in cybernetics, you need to study electronics, biology, psychology, neurology, and computer programming. You can't reasonably get a degree in all of these, but bio-engineering will cover a lot of important basic concepts. Then learn the rest on your own.

Offline JdogTopic starter

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Re: Cybernetics
« Reply #6 on: February 26, 2009, 06:46:35 PM »
If you are interested in cybernetics, you need to study electronics, biology, psychology, neurology, and computer programming. You can't reasonably get a degree in all of these, but bio-engineering will cover a lot of important basic concepts. Then learn the rest on your own.
Thank you very much.

 


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