SRI's Micro Robots Can Now Manufacture Their Own Tools | Hacker News Reader

SRI's Micro Robots Can Now Manufacture Their Own Tools

spectrum.ieee.org

62 pointsdevy15 comments

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

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.

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

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.)

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.)

Does that mean that if my car breaks down, it turns into a robot?

FWIW I don't have a problem with calling autonomous stuff robots.

Hah! I like that. But it's really only true because we don't have general purpose robots yet.

DIY version by mikeselectricstuff (Apr 2014)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_Wh6i8Hb6c

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

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.

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

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

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 :)

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.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com