iBEAM  robotics is a style of robotics that primarily uses simple analog circuits, such as comparators, instead of a microprocessor in order to produce an  unusually simple design. While  not  as  flexible as  microprocessor based robotics, BEAM  robotics can  be  robust and efficient in performing the  task for which it was  designed. Robots  that use  both  analog and microprocessor electronics are  known as  “mutants”.

BEAM  robots may  use  a set  of the  analog circuits, mimicking biological neurons, to facilitate the  robot’s  response to  its  working environment.

The  word “ BEAM”  in  BEAM  robo tics is  an  acronym for Biology,   Electronics, Aesthetics, and  Mechanics.