Dear Professor Winston,

 

 I've finished the first part of my project, building a framework for

 virtual sensate creatures; I would like your help evaluating what I've

 done so far, and deciding what to do next.

 

 For the work I've done so far, I compiled the results into short

 articles that explain how I implemented each sense, with videos that

 show each sense in action. Please look through the articles, in

 particular the video showcase, and tell me what you think.

 

 Video Showcase : http://aurellem.org/cortex/org/cover.html

 

 Introduction:

 http://aurellem.org/cortex/html/intro.html

 http://aurellem.org/cortex/html/sense.html

 

 Physical Bodies : http://aurellem.org/cortex/html/body.html

 Vision  : http://aurellem.org/cortex/html/vision.html

 Hearing : http://aurellem.org/cortex/html/hearing.html

 Touch   : http://aurellem.org/cortex/html/touch.html

 Proprioception     : http://aurellem.org/cortex/html/proprioception.html

 Muscles            : http://aurellem.org/cortex/html/movement.html

 Full Demonstration : http://aurellem.org/cortex/html/integration.html

 

 I think this work could be a fruitful foundation for a Master's

 thesis, so in particular, I'd like critiques, suggestions, and project

 ideas. For example, here are some projects I think would be worthy, in

 increasing order of complexity:

 

     * Create a self-powered joint that can determine its range of

       motion and joint type (hinge, cone, point-to-point, etc.) by

       making exploratory muscle movements and observing their effect.

 

     * Develop an agent that writes and debugs low-level motor control

       programs to achieve simple goals like "look at the light" or

       "extend all of your fingers". These simple "calisthenic"

       programs could then be combined to form more elaborate

       procedures of motion, which in turn could be the basic

       instinctive reflexes in the "spinal cord" of some more advanced

       creature. (like Sussman's HACKER program but in a richer world)

 

     * Program a group of creatures that cooperate with each

       other. Because the creatures would be simulated, I could

       investigate computationally complex rules of behavior which

       still, from the group's point of view, would happen in "real

       time". Interactions could be as simple as cellular organisms

       communicating via flashing lights, or as complex as humanoids

       completing social tasks, etc.

 

     * Simulated Imagination -- this would involve a creature with an

       effector which creates an entire new sub-simulation where the

       creature has direct control over placement/creation of objects

       via simulated telekinesis. The creature observes this sub-world

       through it's normal senses and uses its observations to make

       predictions about its top level world.

 

     * Integrate the simulated world with Genesis, so that Genesis

       could use the simulated world to answer questions about a

       proposed physical scenario. For example "You stack two blocks

       together, then hit the bottom block with your hand. Does the top

       block move?". This project is complicated and very large in

       scope, but it could be narrowed to focus on a single key

       aspect. For example, one key aspect of turning a scenario into a

       simulation is knowing when you're constructing "typical" or

       "atypical" examples of the scenario. So, a narrower project

       might simply learn about the edge cases of different scenarios

       (e.g. "A block stacked on top of another block is usually

       stable, provided the bottom block is large enough, and is not

       moving, and is level, etc."). With this knowledge, this kind of

       program could aid Genesis not only in answering common-sense

       questions, but in refining them: "A block is stacked on top of

       another block. Is it stable?"; "Usually, but do you know if the

       bottom block is slanted?", etc.

 

 These are some ideas, but I think you can come up with better ones. I

 can't wait to hear your critiques and suggestions.

 

 Finally, regarding next year at MIT, can I be considered for the

 position of TA for 6.034 or 6.xxx? Also, do you want me to return to

 MIT at the beginning of Fall or at the beginning of Summer?

 

 Sincerely, 

 --Robert McIntyre