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Article seems to speak out both sides of its mouth, that robots are going away for Mercedes, and also that tons of small robots are being added. Anybody else g

by tedchs 11y ago

Article seems to speak out both sides of its mouth, that robots are going away for Mercedes, and also that tons of small robots are being added. Anybody else get that takeaway?

thehoff 11y ago
My takeaway: They are removing robots that are cordoned off into areas to keep workers safe. These robots are not very good at customizing/changing quickly. What they are being replaced with is people and much smaller robots that work side-by-side with those people. Assisting more than trying to do it all.
- melling 11y ago
  Sounds like a business opportunity to build better robots.
  - sschueller 11y ago
    The large Robot manufactures such as ABB are already working on such solutions: http://new.abb.com/products/robotics/yumi http://new.abb.com/products/robotics/yumi
    - ju-st 11y ago
      The real billion dollar idea is robots which don't need engineers to instruct them. These robots will simply learn from humans who literally show them e.g. how to pick parts from a conveyor and put them in wire mesh crates.
      - sschueller 11y ago
        This robot almost does this, you take its hands and 'show' it what is should do.
      - dbcurtis 11y ago
        That is what Rod Brooks is pushing with Rethink. We'll see if it works.
    - ashmud 11y ago
      Fanuc also has a collaborative robot: http://www.fanuc.eu/de/en/robots/robot-filter-page/collaborative-cr35ia http://www.fanuc.eu/de/en/robots/robot-filter-page/collabora...
bnegreve 11y ago
I think the takeaway is: Humans assisted with robots are superior to just robots when the variety is high.
- agarden 11y ago
  Yup. Though I have to think that people are also more likely to make a mistake and your custom car might show up with the standard cup holder when you ordered the heated. The robot might be inefficient at doing the variety of tasks required for such customization, but it is certainly better at keeping track of just what ought to be done.
xiphias 11y ago
Isn't this just the consequence of booming luxury car sales as the rich-poor gap widens? http://fortune.com/2015/02/17/luxury-car-sales/ http://fortune.com/2015/02/17/luxury-car-sales/ Luxury car brands get more sales therefore they need to compete fast and don't have time for automation.

by tedchs 11y ago

Article seems to speak out both sides of its mouth, that robots are going away for Mercedes, and also that tons of small robots are being added. Anybody else get that takeaway?

thehoff 11y ago

My takeaway: They are removing robots that are cordoned off into areas to keep workers safe. These robots are not very good at customizing/changing quickly. What they are being replaced with is people and much smaller robots that work side-by-side with those people. Assisting more than trying to do it all.

melling 11y ago
Sounds like a business opportunity to build better robots.
- sschueller 11y ago
  The large Robot manufactures such as ABB are already working on such solutions: http://new.abb.com/products/robotics/yumi http://new.abb.com/products/robotics/yumi
  - ju-st 11y ago
    The real billion dollar idea is robots which don't need engineers to instruct them. These robots will simply learn from humans who literally show them e.g. how to pick parts from a conveyor and put them in wire mesh crates.
    - sschueller 11y ago
      This robot almost does this, you take its hands and 'show' it what is should do.
    - dbcurtis 11y ago
      That is what Rod Brooks is pushing with Rethink. We'll see if it works.
  - ashmud 11y ago
    Fanuc also has a collaborative robot: http://www.fanuc.eu/de/en/robots/robot-filter-page/collaborative-cr35ia http://www.fanuc.eu/de/en/robots/robot-filter-page/collabora...

bnegreve 11y ago

I think the takeaway is: Humans assisted with robots are superior to just robots when the variety is high.

agarden 11y ago
Yup. Though I have to think that people are also more likely to make a mistake and your custom car might show up with the standard cup holder when you ordered the heated. The robot might be inefficient at doing the variety of tasks required for such customization, but it is certainly better at keeping track of just what ought to be done.

xiphias 11y ago

Isn't this just the consequence of booming luxury car sales as the rich-poor gap widens? http://fortune.com/2015/02/17/luxury-car-sales/ http://fortune.com/2015/02/17/luxury-car-sales/ Luxury car brands get more sales therefore they need to compete fast and don't have time for automation.