I'm thinking of something like Shuttle-C (disposable external tank but recoverable/reusable main engines, pumps, avionics, etc. and heat shield)** but with something like the reusable Falcon 9 first stage replacing each of the solid rocket boosters.
* see my blogs of 1 January 2025 and 1 June 2025
** something like this:
I am not a specialist in transformer neural networks or in natural language processing but it is my impression that LLM progress has plateaued.
Is this serious enough to block Tesla's approach* to controlling robotaxis, robots, and fsd?
* end-to-end neural network
Some specialist AI agents that I collaborate with:
1. natural language knowledge base*
2. machine/process control agent**
3. recommenders***
4. planner/scheduling agent
5. calculators****
6. summarizer
7. A.s.a. H.
* which I use every day.
** see, as an early example, Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science, vol. 101, pg 132, 1998.
*** which know my wishes/likes/activities.
**** machines have been better than humans at arithmetic for a long time now.
A.s.a. H. does not "stand-by" or "idle", it's always thinking*, even when its sensory input is minimal. I'd be interested then to see A.s.a. ask any questions "unprovoked."
* Unlike LLMs and many other AIs.
I got my PhD in physics 50 years ago. At that time we thought commercial fusion reactors were "right around the corner."
By one count I have 68 small robots and the component parts* for at least 20 more. Some of these are obsolete and others soon will be**. I try to counter this to some degree using reconfigurable designs* but this can increase the costs involved*** and so is not a universal solution.
* For example LEGO, Meccano, Vex IQ, Vex EDR, Raspberry Pis, etc.
** For example LEGO RCX, NXT, Ev3, early Arduinos, etc. The LEGO Technic cables from my RCX Mindstorms sets are actually disintegrating due to age.
*** Hacking toys, for instance, can be cheaper. See my blogs of 1 March and 7 April 2025.
My specialist AIs* are my version of SCSs (Self-Contained Systems**), software AND hardware. With cointelligence some of the specialist agents can even be humans.
* See, as one example, my blog of 1 July 2023.
** See scs-architecture.org
