compudanzas

beans computing

en español: cómputo frijol

non-electronic digital systems based on manipulating beans according to simple logical rules.

inspired by the beans computer, but going at a lower level. most of the times this is related to paper computing.

the computadora de papel is also related as a beans-based, "higher level" computer.

projects

norpet is a proof-of-concept for ideas we have about beans computing in an 8x8 grid or board.

closeup photo of the norpet board completely solved in one of its states: the grid is full of either soy or black beans.

prototypes

bouncing ball logic and bouncer-2d prototype provide some notes from the initial development of poñg around 12020.

a sequence of four frames showing two paper boards with black and soy beans in them: the one in the left contains the processing cells, and the one in the right looks like a screen composed of soy beans except for one, which seems to be moving from the top left corner to the bottom and right.

truth tables

we have only two classes of beans: black (1), and non-black (0).

these tables correspond to the NOT and NOR logical operations.

they show their possible inputs at their left, and their corresponding outputs to the right.

photo of the NOT and NOR truth tables, composed of beans in a greenish surface

NOT

NOT: the output is the opposite of the input. (table at the top left)

inputoutput
01
10

NOR

NOR: the output is black only when none of the inputs are black. in any other case, the output is non-black. (table at the center) nor

inputsoutput
001
010
100
110

if you look closely you'll see that NOT can be defined the same way as NOR.

by combining multiple instances of this logic operation, we could build any possible digital behavior.

incoming links