4 ms·

A solution could be to just secure the area well enough to guarantee that 1) an uncontrolled machine can't escape and 2) people don't enter the area. Then you d

A solution could be to just secure the area well enough to guarantee that 1) an uncontrolled machine can't escape and 2) people don't enter the area. Then you don't particularly care if the machine is "unsafe" if there's no way it can harm anyone. That's the approach most industrial robots take - instead of trying to deal with humans and not hurt them, just make sure there are no humans within reach of the robots.

stevehawk 4y ago
> 2) people don't enter the area That's harder than it should be. No amount of asking my neighbors has kept their kids out of my fenced lawn to retrieve their soccer balls. Which is actually an issue because one of my dogs is not particularly friendly. I'd gladly kick the ball back over if they just knocked on the door. We're not a neighbor-hate-neighbor situation, we actually get along quite well, but kids will be kids.
- Nextgrid 4y ago
  Asking isn't enough, but proper fences should both make it impossible to get in without significant effort and also do a good job at containing the machine should it try to run away. It's up to you to run the numbers whether the cost of securing the area is less than what you spend (in terms of time/inconvenience/etc) manually mowing the lawn.
  - scarby2 4y ago
    Coming from the UK I'm always amazed that many (suburban) Americans don't have 6-8 ft fences surrounding their back yard.
    - Nextgrid 4y ago
      On the other hand, if everyone's yard is accessible, it's unlikely that yours will be the one subject to anything bad so I guess it's a number's game.
    - stevehawk 4y ago
      most of us outside of major cities or suburbia would lose our views.
- ericd 4y ago
  An 8 foot mesh deer fence should do the trick ;-) it’ll also rebound lots of those balls that would otherwise head into your yard.
jabroni_salad 4y ago
That works great in industry, indoors. Outside you are going to have animals. I have a few acres that I mow and find new nesting animals pretty much weekly. Some of them can fly, and the migratory ones (which I do not personally know how to spot aside from a few recurring visitors) are legally protected. Sometimes they run away as they approach, sometimes they want to defend. Either way I do my best to go around and leave them their patch.

stevehawk 4y ago

> 2) people don't enter the area That's harder than it should be. No amount of asking my neighbors has kept their kids out of my fenced lawn to retrieve their soccer balls. Which is actually an issue because one of my dogs is not particularly friendly. I'd gladly kick the ball back over if they just knocked on the door. We're not a neighbor-hate-neighbor situation, we actually get along quite well, but kids will be kids.

Nextgrid 4y ago
Asking isn't enough, but proper fences should both make it impossible to get in without significant effort and also do a good job at containing the machine should it try to run away. It's up to you to run the numbers whether the cost of securing the area is less than what you spend (in terms of time/inconvenience/etc) manually mowing the lawn.
- scarby2 4y ago
  Coming from the UK I'm always amazed that many (suburban) Americans don't have 6-8 ft fences surrounding their back yard.
  - Nextgrid 4y ago
    On the other hand, if everyone's yard is accessible, it's unlikely that yours will be the one subject to anything bad so I guess it's a number's game.
  - stevehawk 4y ago
    most of us outside of major cities or suburbia would lose our views.
ericd 4y ago
An 8 foot mesh deer fence should do the trick ;-) it’ll also rebound lots of those balls that would otherwise head into your yard.

jabroni_salad 4y ago

That works great in industry, indoors. Outside you are going to have animals. I have a few acres that I mow and find new nesting animals pretty much weekly. Some of them can fly, and the migratory ones (which I do not personally know how to spot aside from a few recurring visitors) are legally protected. Sometimes they run away as they approach, sometimes they want to defend. Either way I do my best to go around and leave them their patch.