required electricity (220 V alternating current from the mains) using an umbilical power cable. The machine has three rubber wheels, two fixed wheels in front which are driven by automobile windscreen wiper motors, and a free-rotating caster wheel at the back. By design, the Ladybird is incapable of going in reverse. Operation The Ladybird emulates basic phototaxis as well as conditional and unconditional reflexes. Phototaxis is exhibited by the machine's rudimentary ability to "follow" a sufficiently strong light source which shines into its photosensors; the centre sensor turns on both motors to propel the robot forward, the left- and right-side sensors turn on only the opposite side's motor to effectively make the machine turn towards the light source. When turning or moving forward, the robot's "eyes" are fully alight, when it is stationary, they are just dimly lit. Conditional reflexes are emulated by the Ladybird's ability to associate the "go" signal represented by the light source with a certain sound frequency (usually emitted by a nearby flute). If the front photosensor and the microphone both receives the right stimuli for a certain amount of time (the "eyes" are flashing during this time), the robot gains the ability to move forward just by "hearing" the right frequency of sound. This "memory" fades away with time (as capacitors drain out), or it can be erased by pressing any of the buttons (the black dots) on the shell. Unconditional reflexes are emulated by the Ladybird's "refusal" to move in response to either light or sound stimuli when it "gets hurt", when any of its black dots are pressed. In this case it also "cries" using its buzzer, its "eyes" go fully dark, and it "forgets" about the conditioning. It can only be "soothed" and activated again by being "petted", by slightly pressing the sliding vane on top of the shell. The Ladybird also "cries" and stops its motors when it hits an obstacle, such as the side walls of its demonstration pen. The University of Szeged's Java simulation of the Ladybird accurately mirrors the behaviour of the actual machine, except that the simulated robot can go in reverse. Publicity In the 1960s the Ladybird was featured multiple times on MTV (Magyar Televízió), then the only television channel in the People's Republic of Hungary. In December 2011, the Science Museum, London hosted one of the replicas of the Ladybird in its 4-day Robotville Festival