6 ms·

Some things to note here. 1. It's quiet. This is a roboticists way of saying, "Hey, I'm efficient and well made!" 2. There are no 2x/3x/5x disclaimers on the

Some things to note here. 1. It's quiet. This is a roboticists way of saying, "Hey, I'm efficient and well made!" 2. There are no 2x/3x/5x disclaimers on the video. This means that these movements are real time. Standard for BD but still a flex in the robotics world. 3. Pinch points, pinch points everywhere. This thing is not inherently safe to be around. If you don't trust the perception and safety software don't get near this thing. Also it could probably smash you. 4. They illustrate the tug capabilities (pulling the extensible conveyor) but omit the bit where a human has to connect the robot to the conveyor. 5. The first bit shows an end-effector with dozens of suction cups picking up fairly heavy loads. That's a lot of vacuum to generate. I'd really like to know the runtime of this thing before it has to recharge.

bhuirlylg 6y ago
That extensible conveyor looks pretty ghetto. Surely production ones will be more robust and have automatic linkage.
- freeflight 6y ago
  It's not ghetto at all, conveyors like that are in use all over the logistics sector.
- jabroni_salad 6y ago
  Every walmart in the country has that extensible conveyor for unloading trucks.
deleted 6y ago
[deleted]
shellfishgene 6y ago
I assume if they can build a robot to recognize and pick up individual boxes they can find a way to have it find, connect and disconnect itself from the conveyor...
bobajeff 6y ago
When watching the video the first thing I noticed was how perfectly stacked and uniform in size and shape the boxes were. It hinted at being able to lift a specific non-box object (spot mini) but I feel it wasn't a realistic representation of actual cargo loads. Also, unloading is only part of the problem. Loading is more like a game of tetris. Only you have to make sure the packages don't crush one another, topple over, and use the space efficiently. Keeping in mind that some packages are heavier/lighter/bigger/smaller than others or oddly shaped (think tires, weights, chair etc.).
- squarefoot 6y ago
  "but I feel it wasn't a realistic representation of actual cargo loads." Completely unrealistic since all boxes were empty [0], and there's a cut when it lifts the only heavy object, which also is done at much lower speed. It's a demo, although still very impressive. I hope one day to see BD selling robots in kits. [0] Easy to infer from how they move when picked up or fall on the conveyor belt; also well loaded boxes would easily break or at least strain if picked up by one side.
nimbius 6y ago
as someone whos worked alongside caged articulated robots, i can think of nothing more terrifying than a multi-axis, unrestricted pick and place on wheels. when a robot crashes, it generally does so with an astounding amount of uncontrolled speed and power. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FwdMjYUyKM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FwdMjYUyKM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cpg_3syMT_U https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cpg_3syMT_U stretch seems like the fastest way to the goriest obituary. its also noteworthy to state most robotic lines can be powered off in an emergency at several points. Try convincing a fire team to enter your factory to extinguish a blaze with a dozen flaming Boston Dynamics robots wandering the floor in various states of operation.
- mam2 6y ago
  there are hundreds of safe robots with the proper software. it does need to be a priority for the teams working on it
- iandanforth 6y ago
  You're not wrong :) Do the robots in those videos use hydrolics?
- BoiledCabbage 6y ago
  The other concern is that they've starting to be deployed via policing - and all of the consequences that will entail. The laws aren't yet prepared for this and it will cause the same types of impacts on society. A lawmaker put forward banning arming them, which seems like the bare minimum [1] - but what happens when they're used to "herd" protestor? Is that a good thing or bad? We as technologists keep repeating the same mistake, of developing new tech, ignoring the impact it will have on society, and then being shocked at the negative response by broader society. It's disappointing to see almost no discussion of the impact of tech here on HN, just superficial discussion of the tech itself. As a software engineer, what matters is not the code you write, but the impact is has on the customer. It takes most engineers many years to learn this. As a technologist, the exact same thing applies. [1] - https://www.wired.com/story/new-york-lawmaker-wants-ban-police-armed-robots/ https://www.wired.com/story/new-york-lawmaker-wants-ban-poli...
Doxin 6y ago
As to point number 4, I think the idea there is to have the bot permanently connected to a conveyor like that, and use them to unload or load trucks. It's a pretty useful use case, even if it does mean the bot can't roam the factory floor.

bhuirlylg 6y ago

That extensible conveyor looks pretty ghetto. Surely production ones will be more robust and have automatic linkage.

freeflight 6y ago
It's not ghetto at all, conveyors like that are in use all over the logistics sector.
jabroni_salad 6y ago
Every walmart in the country has that extensible conveyor for unloading trucks.

deleted 6y ago

[deleted]

shellfishgene 6y ago

I assume if they can build a robot to recognize and pick up individual boxes they can find a way to have it find, connect and disconnect itself from the conveyor...

bobajeff 6y ago

When watching the video the first thing I noticed was how perfectly stacked and uniform in size and shape the boxes were. It hinted at being able to lift a specific non-box object (spot mini) but I feel it wasn't a realistic representation of actual cargo loads. Also, unloading is only part of the problem. Loading is more like a game of tetris. Only you have to make sure the packages don't crush one another, topple over, and use the space efficiently. Keeping in mind that some packages are heavier/lighter/bigger/smaller than others or oddly shaped (think tires, weights, chair etc.).

squarefoot 6y ago
"but I feel it wasn't a realistic representation of actual cargo loads." Completely unrealistic since all boxes were empty [0], and there's a cut when it lifts the only heavy object, which also is done at much lower speed. It's a demo, although still very impressive. I hope one day to see BD selling robots in kits. [0] Easy to infer from how they move when picked up or fall on the conveyor belt; also well loaded boxes would easily break or at least strain if picked up by one side.

nimbius 6y ago

as someone whos worked alongside caged articulated robots, i can think of nothing more terrifying than a multi-axis, unrestricted pick and place on wheels. when a robot crashes, it generally does so with an astounding amount of uncontrolled speed and power. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FwdMjYUyKM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FwdMjYUyKM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cpg_3syMT_U https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cpg_3syMT_U stretch seems like the fastest way to the goriest obituary. its also noteworthy to state most robotic lines can be powered off in an emergency at several points. Try convincing a fire team to enter your factory to extinguish a blaze with a dozen flaming Boston Dynamics robots wandering the floor in various states of operation.

mam2 6y ago
there are hundreds of safe robots with the proper software. it does need to be a priority for the teams working on it
iandanforth 6y ago
You're not wrong :) Do the robots in those videos use hydrolics?
BoiledCabbage 6y ago
The other concern is that they've starting to be deployed via policing - and all of the consequences that will entail. The laws aren't yet prepared for this and it will cause the same types of impacts on society. A lawmaker put forward banning arming them, which seems like the bare minimum [1] - but what happens when they're used to "herd" protestor? Is that a good thing or bad? We as technologists keep repeating the same mistake, of developing new tech, ignoring the impact it will have on society, and then being shocked at the negative response by broader society. It's disappointing to see almost no discussion of the impact of tech here on HN, just superficial discussion of the tech itself. As a software engineer, what matters is not the code you write, but the impact is has on the customer. It takes most engineers many years to learn this. As a technologist, the exact same thing applies. [1] - https://www.wired.com/story/new-york-lawmaker-wants-ban-police-armed-robots/ https://www.wired.com/story/new-york-lawmaker-wants-ban-poli...

Doxin 6y ago

As to point number 4, I think the idea there is to have the bot permanently connected to a conveyor like that, and use them to unload or load trucks. It's a pretty useful use case, even if it does mean the bot can't roam the factory floor.