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SRI's Micro Robots Can Now Manufacture Their Own Tools

62 points by devy 11y ago

ColinDabritz 11y ago
Wow, those videos are mesmerizing. Impressive work, feels like the future!
nsajko 11y ago
But they're not really robots though? Just actuators.
- beambot 11y ago
  I challenge you to come up with any definition of "robot" that isn't hotly contested by someone in robotics. (Disclaimer: I'm a career roboticist.) The most succinct definition I've ever heard: A robot is a machine that doesn't work; as soon as it starts working, it's called something else (vacuum cleaner, autonomous car, dishwasher, Rosey, etc.)
  - sehqlr 11y ago
    Your definition of robotics is similar to one I've heard for artificial intelligence. As soon as AI works for something, it's renamed (machine learning, computer vision, natural language processing, etc.)
  - mikeash 11y ago
    Does that mean that if my car breaks down, it turns into a robot?
  - nsajko 11y ago
    FWIW I don't have a problem with calling autonomous stuff robots.
  - gozur88 11y ago
    Hah! I like that. But it's really only true because we don't have general purpose robots yet.
trhway 11y ago
seeing DARPA on the title screen of the video naturally cross connects it with the other news about Pentagon drone swarms - lets SRI robots have "weapons" instead of tools, and swarm of carbon fiber bodied Piranya or killer bees with titanium teeth or stingers with high voltage contacts naturally come to mind :)
- sbierwagen 11y ago
  The robots are controlled by the surface they're traveling on, they don't work outside of it, much like how you can't glide an air hockey puck down I-5.
hkmurakami 11y ago
My friend works on this project at SRI and I've had the fortune of seeing the little robots in action. It's quite a marvel seeing structures getting built in this distributed fashion via a group of robots.
abecedarius 11y ago
On the magnetic levitation at the end: how's that going to work? Like https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetic_levitation#Servomechanisms https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetic_levitation#Servomecha... ?
jamespitts 11y ago
Add this flexible assembling mechanism to 3D printing and some traditional robotics... and you have a very interesting builder-thing indeed. Highly complex machines such as drones could be rapidly manufactured or repaired from some raw materials in the field, so long as pre-manufactured pieces such as microprocessors, optics, motors, etc. were in place.
rasz_pl 11y ago
DIY version by mikeselectricstuff (Apr 2014) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_Wh6i8Hb6c https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_Wh6i8Hb6c
pklausler 11y ago
It's another step towards a von Neumann - Bracewell probe. I'd like to see self-replication soon!
rihegher 11y ago
I wonder if it could be used for recycling of electronic component which at the moment is incomplete and/ or unprofitable process

62 points by devy 11y ago

ColinDabritz 11y ago

Wow, those videos are mesmerizing. Impressive work, feels like the future!

nsajko 11y ago

But they're not really robots though? Just actuators.

beambot 11y ago
I challenge you to come up with any definition of "robot" that isn't hotly contested by someone in robotics. (Disclaimer: I'm a career roboticist.) The most succinct definition I've ever heard: A robot is a machine that doesn't work; as soon as it starts working, it's called something else (vacuum cleaner, autonomous car, dishwasher, Rosey, etc.)
- sehqlr 11y ago
  Your definition of robotics is similar to one I've heard for artificial intelligence. As soon as AI works for something, it's renamed (machine learning, computer vision, natural language processing, etc.)
- mikeash 11y ago
  Does that mean that if my car breaks down, it turns into a robot?
- nsajko 11y ago
  FWIW I don't have a problem with calling autonomous stuff robots.
- gozur88 11y ago
  Hah! I like that. But it's really only true because we don't have general purpose robots yet.

trhway 11y ago

seeing DARPA on the title screen of the video naturally cross connects it with the other news about Pentagon drone swarms - lets SRI robots have "weapons" instead of tools, and swarm of carbon fiber bodied Piranya or killer bees with titanium teeth or stingers with high voltage contacts naturally come to mind :)

sbierwagen 11y ago
The robots are controlled by the surface they're traveling on, they don't work outside of it, much like how you can't glide an air hockey puck down I-5.

hkmurakami 11y ago

My friend works on this project at SRI and I've had the fortune of seeing the little robots in action. It's quite a marvel seeing structures getting built in this distributed fashion via a group of robots.

abecedarius 11y ago

On the magnetic levitation at the end: how's that going to work? Like https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetic_levitation#Servomechanisms https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetic_levitation#Servomecha... ?

jamespitts 11y ago

Add this flexible assembling mechanism to 3D printing and some traditional robotics... and you have a very interesting builder-thing indeed. Highly complex machines such as drones could be rapidly manufactured or repaired from some raw materials in the field, so long as pre-manufactured pieces such as microprocessors, optics, motors, etc. were in place.

rasz_pl 11y ago

DIY version by mikeselectricstuff (Apr 2014) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_Wh6i8Hb6c https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_Wh6i8Hb6c

pklausler 11y ago

It's another step towards a von Neumann - Bracewell probe. I'd like to see self-replication soon!

rihegher 11y ago

I wonder if it could be used for recycling of electronic component which at the moment is incomplete and/ or unprofitable process