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I work in robotics field and I always thought that collaborative robots were cool in trade show booths but beyond that they had limited use. I've not seen many

I work in robotics field and I always thought that collaborative robots were cool in trade show booths but beyond that they had limited use. I've not seen many of these things used in our industry (semiconductor) or any other friends who work in various industries. ABB lead the campaign on these as if they are going to revolutionize manufacturing lines where humans & machines will work together. That never happened just like 3D printing never shook the world as it promised it would.

riazrizvi 8y ago
The problem here does not seem to be with collaborative robots, as much as execution, with Universal Robots outcompeting them. Honestly the friendly face UI seems to be gimmicky. I suspect more practical features were under prioritized.
chrisweekly 8y ago
> "just like 3D printing never shook the world as it promised it would" Additive orthopedics are a pretty big deal to people who need, say, an ankle replacement. And it's way too soon to say something like that, at least absent a "yet" modifier.
- jsemrau 8y ago
  While 3D printing found home on a value adding niche, it's still far away from what could be done with the technology.
  - ethbro 8y ago
    Honestly, the biggest thing holding 3D printing back seems to be lack of broad access to co-op hackerspaces with top-of-the-line machines. And I don't mean in SF. I mean in Small Town, Kansas, sponsored by the local high school, library, and whoever else. Buying one for home use is a dalliance for the upper middle class. But democratized access to technology would be far more effective. Sharing an actual structural, metal 3D printer seems so much more useful than having 20x plastic-only home machines.
    - jonathankoren 8y ago
      Of course, there's always Shapeways.
  - antoniuschan99 8y ago
    I used to think so but it's much closer than you think. My side project we're using a Prusa Mk3 for an end use part and the quality and cost is amazing. A lot of other people are doing the same. There are so many types of material too now.
javiramos 8y ago
I work on 3D printing and I can tell you - 3D printing is profoundly impacting a variety of industries. It’s been amazing to see the growth and development in the past 3 years.
- aetherson 8y ago
  Yeah, I think the thing with 3D printing is it's a powerful industrial technology, but the idea that every home would want a low cost 3D printer was badly wrong.
  - XenophileJKO 8y ago
    It's just not good enough yet. It just can't make enough products using a variety of materials, fast enough and with little user involvement. When a turn key solution is available where the average person just clicks to "print" a product, that equation changes. I feel like this is a technology that isn't a consumer product until suddenly it is.
    - tranchms 8y ago
      Check out Carbon3D and Velo3D. Two companies I work with in the Bay Area who are changing the game.
jlarocco 8y ago
Although consumer 3D printing hasn't gone anywhere, industrial 3D printing is gaining traction. For example, I recently toured the Moots bicycle factory and was surprised to learn their rear dropouts are 3D printed titanium. http://moots.com/moots-3d-printed-flat-mount-dropout/ http://moots.com/moots-3d-printed-flat-mount-dropout/
Symmetry 8y ago
We have URs in a warehouses doing piece picking. They're not the right solution for very structured environments like a semiconductor plant but for medium structured environments like a warehouse they can make a lot of sense. And frankly collaborative arms are just so much easier to develop on that it might be worth it to use them for that even if your final product is going to use a full industrial arm. You're going to make a mistake in your collision checking routine at some point.

riazrizvi 8y ago

The problem here does not seem to be with collaborative robots, as much as execution, with Universal Robots outcompeting them. Honestly the friendly face UI seems to be gimmicky. I suspect more practical features were under prioritized.

chrisweekly 8y ago

> "just like 3D printing never shook the world as it promised it would" Additive orthopedics are a pretty big deal to people who need, say, an ankle replacement. And it's way too soon to say something like that, at least absent a "yet" modifier.

jsemrau 8y ago
While 3D printing found home on a value adding niche, it's still far away from what could be done with the technology.
- ethbro 8y ago
  Honestly, the biggest thing holding 3D printing back seems to be lack of broad access to co-op hackerspaces with top-of-the-line machines. And I don't mean in SF. I mean in Small Town, Kansas, sponsored by the local high school, library, and whoever else. Buying one for home use is a dalliance for the upper middle class. But democratized access to technology would be far more effective. Sharing an actual structural, metal 3D printer seems so much more useful than having 20x plastic-only home machines.
  - jonathankoren 8y ago
    Of course, there's always Shapeways.
- antoniuschan99 8y ago
  I used to think so but it's much closer than you think. My side project we're using a Prusa Mk3 for an end use part and the quality and cost is amazing. A lot of other people are doing the same. There are so many types of material too now.

javiramos 8y ago

I work on 3D printing and I can tell you - 3D printing is profoundly impacting a variety of industries. It’s been amazing to see the growth and development in the past 3 years.

aetherson 8y ago
Yeah, I think the thing with 3D printing is it's a powerful industrial technology, but the idea that every home would want a low cost 3D printer was badly wrong.
- XenophileJKO 8y ago
  It's just not good enough yet. It just can't make enough products using a variety of materials, fast enough and with little user involvement. When a turn key solution is available where the average person just clicks to "print" a product, that equation changes. I feel like this is a technology that isn't a consumer product until suddenly it is.
  - tranchms 8y ago
    Check out Carbon3D and Velo3D. Two companies I work with in the Bay Area who are changing the game.

jlarocco 8y ago

Although consumer 3D printing hasn't gone anywhere, industrial 3D printing is gaining traction. For example, I recently toured the Moots bicycle factory and was surprised to learn their rear dropouts are 3D printed titanium. http://moots.com/moots-3d-printed-flat-mount-dropout/ http://moots.com/moots-3d-printed-flat-mount-dropout/

Symmetry 8y ago

We have URs in a warehouses doing piece picking. They're not the right solution for very structured environments like a semiconductor plant but for medium structured environments like a warehouse they can make a lot of sense. And frankly collaborative arms are just so much easier to develop on that it might be worth it to use them for that even if your final product is going to use a full industrial arm. You're going to make a mistake in your collision checking routine at some point.