System Design.

SYSTEM DESIGN

                                                                                

BY BILL JONES  12/5/2017

This article was written after watching a video of an expert juggler. As an engineer, my thoughts were concentrated on how one might design a system having characteristics similar to the performer. Engineers do have some unusual ideas. But in my case I would not call this unusual, because I have always been a system designer and these thoughts just come naturally.

The article has some technical jargon that might be understood only by system design engineers – you will easily skip over these words and still come away with the direction of my thoughts. The content of my thoughts have a direction in addition to just the design of such a system. The direction of my thoughts are the crux of this article.

It is interesting to watch the video of this juggler and see the expertise of the performer. Note that the performer juggles using either hand with equal dexterity, for example, the objects being juggled are thrown from the back side of the performer to the front side – being caught in the front, and this is done using either hand. This action requires a learned response. Considered as a system, critical computations must be made before such actions are taken. Systems that can learn are of great importance.

The performer has background music and it should be noted that the performer sings to the music in the latter part of the performance – singing to himself. This is an important consideration in the design of this system.

The web address of the video is discussed below. Before reading further, please watch the video in full screen – turn up the sound and enjoy.  

If the exact address of the video is given it may be removed because of copyright problems. The video may be found in a search for Chris Bliss, “Amazing Juggling Masterpiece”. There are   several web sites that have excellent video, but no sound. There is a video by “fugley” with sound, but the picture is less than perfect. At the present time you may see a clear picture with good sound on chrisbliss.com - choose AMAZING JUGGLING FINALE.  Before reading further please watch the video.

It is interesting to investigate human made systems, and systems made that include humans - it is quite easy, relatively speaking, to analyze many human (Being) made systems. I am thinking in particular of how one might mathematically analyze the system shown in the video.  

This could be considered as a simple system since it produces repeating mechanical motions as controlled by a Being.  Mechanical systems that include Beings are innumerable - playing a musical instrument, for example. The system under consideration certainly includes learned responses. These responses may be may be simple to expert. Some systems such as a chess game often require long term complex thought before an action is taken. An action taken by a so called- “Being-included “system is not necessarily mechanical.

The video included in this article might be viewed (no pun intended) as a system that keeps several objects in motion. The question in my mind is - how would you analyze such a system? If you could mathematically analyze the system, it would then (very likely) be possible to build such a robotic system.

The system is interesting because it appears to be driven by a clock, or a clocked system. There are a large number of clocked systems, for example, computers and communication systems – both analog and digital. The system under discussion has analog characteristics. It might be possible to analyze the system by considering the systems mathematical input/output function as is done in computers and communication systems.  While such an input/output mathematical expression may be impossible to obtain, it is possible to consider several of the components than require analysis.

Mathematically speaking it would be relatively easy to build a robot that would move multiple objects in some regular fashion –at least software-wise. However, regular would be too simple and the system should actually be “almost regular” to emulate a Being and perhaps even include system noise. The real problem comes about when you try to analyze a system that includes a Being, or simply a “Being system”.  To analyze such “Being systems” complicates matters because it will exhibit some unusual mathematics.   Several necessary components of the ‘Being system” will be discussed.  

The “Being system” begins to exhibit some of the properties of the mathematics of Chaos, but perhaps not by strict definition. The phase-plane of the objects in motion are somewhat random but the objects always return to an attractor – the hands. While the Being system is clocked, the clock varies widely in frequency. The input and the output functions both include the vision function of the Being – necessary – but, unusual for any system.  The Beings vision (think video) is used to determine the point at which an object must be picked, and is called - the input.

The objects are picked, and immediately released - with some intended trajectory (the output) such that they are again picked for repeated release. Note that the central vision of the Being is not in great use. The binocular peripheral vision appears to be most used as would be expected.  The use of the central vision is mainly required when the clocking (picking) is increased to what might be called the maximum frequency or the cutoff frequency in communication system terms. The system is also deterministic in the sense that the Being knows and automatically determines (calculates) the trajectory of the objects or at least it knows how to predict the trajectory. In mathematics, prediction is quite complicated and often impossible, but in this case the Being does it with ease – an expert learned response difficult to describe mathematically.

One of the more unusual problems of analysis comes about when the Being system develops a “whim”. It is noted that the Being system is synchronized to the music (a clock) through binaural audio input - (ears). The Being  system also appears to enjoy itself as it sings the words to the background music.   The Being system provides challenging trajectories for its own enjoyment, and is seemingly pleased with its performance. The Being system either cares or is pleased with the response of the audience.  All of these Being responses are impossible to describe mathematically.

Mathematical description is difficult because of a number of complications. A whim does not lend itself to mathematical formulation.  There is not a system that has the capability of mathematically including a challenge for its own enjoyment.  There is not a mathematical description of enjoyment. No human made system can care what other systems think or feel.  We are unable to make such systems.  We are unable to even mathematically describe such a Being system.  However, such Being systems are innumerable, and are in everyday use.

An Intelligent-Designer makes such systems.  The Intelligent-Designer included many mathematically impossible to describe characteristics. Whims, for example cannot be described by mathematics.   A desire for self –challenge cannot be mathematically described. A self-clock that can produce rhythm along with an audible generator that will produce frequencies (singing) for system enjoyment cannot be described mathematically. This is not to mention perseverance and a desire to excel for enjoyment, nor means to describe either.

The Intelligent-Designer included many other system qualities not as simple as those discussed here, for example, love.

You know the Designer of whom I speak. He has many names, but most of us simply call Him - God.

         

Questions or Comments? Please e-mail me at whnj@att.net  Thanks, Bill.