00100						Artificial Intelligence Lab.
00200						Computer Science Department
00300						Stanford University
00400						Stanford, Calif.  94305
00500						May 20, 1973
00600	
00700	Dear Bernie:
00800	
00900		My constipation is over- at least for the  duration  of  this
01000	letter.  As usual, my excuses are lame so I wont burden you with any.
01100	By now you've heard that I have been travelling around  a  bit  these
01200	past few months...even as far as Japan.
01300	
01400		The arm business is growing in leaps and bounds.  Everyone is
01500	asking me about arms- both the Stanford arm and the new M.I.T.    arm
01600	which  has  yet to be built and tested.  So I'm sort of in the middle
01700	of things now- trying to get some projects completed here at Stanford
01800	and also trying to help out all those other groups who want either my
01900	help or arms.     I'm also seriously thinking about  the  PhD  again.
02000	Probably  something  like an interdisiplinary project involving M.E.,
02100	Comp.  Sci.,and I.E.  I've talked things over with various people and
02200	they  are  all encouraging.  I was sort of waiting until you got back
02300	before  making  any  final  decisions  on  just  what  the  committee
02400	composition would be or the tentative thesis topic.
02500	
02600			Now to the papers I've not written.  Yes, I am sure I
02700	have disappointed you again and I make  no  promises  that  the  same
02800	thing  wont  happen in the future.  I always keep thinking and hoping
02900	that I will be able to draw up realistic schedules and meet them. But
03000	it  looks  like  my  general  disorganization is an innate part of my
03100	character and a change in this general way of  doing  things  is  not
03200	easily made.
03300	
03400		I  have read your paper and it all looks good to me.  Yes, if
03500	you want to, you can use my name on the paper as a co-author.    This
03600	makes  it  the  second paper I have the pleasure of co-authoring this
03700	year.   J.P.L.  wrote one which has been submitted to and accepted at
03800	the  A.I. Conference here this summer.  I was listed as co-author and
03900	told that my part would be minimal in the writing.  Well  that's  not
04000	how  it's  turning out.  Anyway, if it's not too late, or you haven't
04100	changed your mind, you can use my name.    Personally  I'm  flattered
04200	that  you  chose to include me in your paper which deals only briefly
04300	with my particular work.
04400	
04500		Although I don't think the project will send me over to Italy
04600	for  the  conference, I am seriously thinking of taking a short leave
04700	and going there myself.  Thus there is a good chance that I  will  be
04800	there, paper or not.  Speaking of trips and travel, the A.I.  Project
04900	is 10 years old now and a new contract with ARPA is  presently  being
05000	negotiated.  In the meantime we are spending lots of surplus money on
05100	hardware, trips and travel before the June 15 anniversary date.  ARPA
05200	is  getting  out of the robot business, but it looks like we will get
05300	at least two more years of funding for work in this area .    We  are
05400	also  pretty certain of an industrial automation grant from NSF which
05500	should be comming through by the end of the year.    SRI  has  gotten
05600	screwed  a  bit.    ARPA  is  not  going  to  give them any money for
05700	robotics, so  they  are  frantically  searching  for  an  alternative
05800	project  to  let ARPA fund.  Luckily, they do have a large industrial
05900	automation grant from NSF to tide them over for a while.   I've  been
06000	working there one day a week helping them to develop a proposal for a
06100	new and advanced Shakey.  It will use at least one of my M.I.T.  arms
06200	if  the present plans go through.   I have also gone down to 80% time
06300	here at the A.I.  Lab.  so that I can push thru the  details  of  the
06400	M.I.T. arm without causing too many cries of conflict of interest.
06500	
06600		I  assume  you  will  be back shortly, and we will be able to
06700	talk more then.
06800	
06900						Sincerely,