Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Immobile Robots

Posted by michael on from the what-you-get-when-the-servos-break-down dept.

Roland Piquepaille writes "Wade Roush wrote a long and well-documented article for the Technology Review about this new concept, the immobot, short for "immobile robot." He gives different industrial examples, from NASA to the water utility in Porto Alegre, and from Toyota cars to some new Xerox photocopiers. And he looks at the programming model behind the immobots. No "heuristic" programs here, but model-based programs instead. Check this column for details." The original article has more information.

3 of 92 comments (clear)

  1. Other new names... by dagg · · Score: 1, Flamebait
    Immobot? Here are some other new names:
    • Silradio - A radio with no sound.
    • Cleartv - A TV with no picture.
    • CPUlessPC - A computer without a CPU.
    • Darklight - duh.
    Since this article is pointless... here's something else to do:
    Get your sex here

    --
    Sex - Find It
  2. Politically Correct?? by Myriad · · Score: 1, Flamebait
    Hrmmm, I would have applied this definition:

    Immobile Robot: (politically correct term) used to describe a robot which has suffered a Blue Screen of Death.

    Similar, but more polite form of: "Who borked the bot?", "The bot's FUBARed", or This bot is hosed!"

    One possible cause for an immobile robot is a users irresponsible experimentation with magic.

    --
    "They do not preach that their god will rouse them, a little before the Nuts work loose." Kipling, 'The Sons of Martha'
  3. IMBOTCILE by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Flamebait

    Once again the difference between science and engineering becomes apparent:

    Scientists stand in the way of progress by being glory-hounds who redefine common vocabulary. They are often engineers who couldn't make the grade freshman year so they switched their major. Or they are highborn trust fund children who pay their way through their doctorate and then get all of the funding. And when they get their millions in grant money they then go out and look for the real technologists: The engineers. The engineers are typically people who can actually get things working. They choose not to redefine a common word and make up a new vocabulary to impress the money-mongers who fund the scientists. The engineer doesn't live on a trust fund. He either performs or he goes back to the trailer park.

    Alas, we live in a fuedalistic society controled by bankers and drug-addled politicians. We have marketing people designing systems. We have lawyers designing software.

    Imbot! how about IMBOTCILE