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