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I’ve worked on those robots that mass produce cars. The idea that you can ship them from site to site doesn’t really work. They require a lot of support infrast
by bumby 3y ago
I’ve worked on those robots that mass produce cars. The idea that you can ship them from site to site doesn’t really work. They require a lot of support infrastructure. The use a lot of large parts (dies in the case of cars) that are heavy and must be constantly swapped out. They require a lot of constant tuning that would likely be made worse when subjected to the vibrations of transit. They require whole specialized teams just to maintain.
- AnthonyMouse 3y agoThose sound like things that are actually specific to cars, which operate on metal with tight tolerances because it e.g. has to hold compression in a cylinder. Houses are made out of wood and tolerances are measured in centimeters if not inches.
- bumby 3y agoThis sounds like conjecture from someone who hasn’t worked in construction or automation. I’ve worked in both. Problems generally seem much simpler when we don’t have much experience with the nuances and details of execution. Some tolerances are forgiving (like framing, which can be corrected by a finish carpenter) and other systems are much more difficult. Both take some level of AGI to problem solve that comes in the form of a human. That's why there are "design" drawings and "as-built" drawings that (in my experience, at least) never match. I'm not saying its impossible, but I think the marginal costs are too high to replace what we already have. In addition, society has been moving towards individualization since the 1980s. We aren't in the Henry Ford days where people are ok with "any color of car as long as its black." People want individualization when it comes to their homes as well, and that lack of standardization makes automation more difficult than building a modern Levittown with robots.