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The suitability is explored of two varieties of distributed memory neutral networks as trainable controllers for a simulated robotics task. The task requires that two cameras observe an arbitrary target point in space. Coordinates of the target on the camera image planes are passed to a neural controller which must learn to solve the inverse kinematics of a manipulator with one revolute and two prismatic joints. Two new network designs are evaluated. The first, radial basis sparse distributed memory (RBSDM), approximates functional mappings as sums of multivariate gaussians centered around previously learned patterns. The second network types involved variations of Adaptive Vector Quantizers or Self Organizing Maps. In these networks, random N dimensional points are given local connectivities. They are then exposed to training patterns and readjust their locations based on a nearest neighbor rule. Both approaches are tested based on their ability to interpolate manipulator joint coordinates for simulated arm movement while simultaneously performing stereo fusion of the camera data. Comparisons are made with classical k-nearest neighbor pattern recognition techniques.

Born to a prosperous cloth merchant of Assisi, Francis (1182-1226) lived the typically high-spirited life of a wealthy young man of his day, which included fighting as a soldier. In 1205, while away at war, he experienced a vision that beckoned him return to Assisi, where he soon lost his taste for the worldly life and began to live a life of evangelical poverty in imitation of Jesus Christ. He embarked upon a pilgrimage to Rome, where he begged for alms alongside the poor at St. Peter's Basilica. Upon his return to Assisi, be began to preach in the town square and soon acquired a curious following which blossomed into a worldwide religious order. The Franciscans sparked a spiritual revival that enlightened the Dark Ages and that continues even into our day.<br><br>Johannes Jorgensen (1866–1956) is best known outside his native Denmark for his popular biography of St. Francis of Assisi, which he wrote in 1907. As a student in Copenhagen, he searched in vain for truth in various secular and spiritual philosophies. But his 1894 visit to Assisi, with his friend Mogens Ballin, a Jewish convert to Catholicism, led to a turning point in Jorgensen's own spiritual life and quest for truth and marked the beginning of his fervent love for Francis, a love that became the preoccupation of his life and led to his conversion to Catholicism in 1896. His timeless biography of Francis of Assisi continues to inspire readers from all creeds and cultures. (Adapted from Wikipedia)

2Deadly City

By Ivar Jorgensen

You’re all alone in a deserted city. You walk down an empty street, yearning for the sight of one living face — one moving figure. Then you see a man on a corner and you know your terror has only begun. Frank Brooks wakes up in Chicago after being drugged in an evacuated city, apparently surrounded by aliens... - Summary by The Narrator