BEAM robotics on Wikipedia

BEAM robotics (from Biology, Electronics, Aesthetics and Mechanics) is a style of robotics that primarily uses simple analogue 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.