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Remote-controlled Bolts and Screws
Winter writes "SMT Magazine has an article on intelligent fasteners (screws, bolts...) that can fasten themselves or by remote control.
Usage for this seems mainly to make sure normal people cannot change parts in their car themselves, and only allow for authorized parts and service.
Of course, a hacker might also have fun and disassemble the neighbours car."
I always wanted a universal tool that could work like the Sonic Screwdriver from Dr. Who!
"Hey server monkey, come tighten these screws!"
There's already way too much tech in our cars already. I love technology, but there are some places where it should be kept to a minimum. I long for the days when you could work on your own car with a decent socket set and a few wrenches.
DeviantArt Page
NSFWyea well..SCREW THAT!
I've been interested in these devices for a while now. As a design engineer, I don't see much how these new intelligent fasteners will differ much from today's dumb fasteners. Since they are mechanical fasteners, the joint strength considerations remain the same. All fasteners still have to transfer a force, and the concepts of tension, shear, and clamp load don't change with the addition of an embedded system. I suppose that any joint strength you can achieve with a traditional fastener, you can achieve with an intelligent fastener.
There will be differences, of course. On the plus side, they promise to provide additional design freedom. Tool access and assembly sequences often dictate the fastener locations as much as joint strength does. Now you can put a joint anywhere you want because of the built-in actuation, which can also eliminate some of the tolerance or orientation issues associated with assembly tools. Cross threading could be a thing of the past.
They also shouldn't present any packaging difficulties, despite their onboard electronics. These fasteners tap into a product's existing wiring and electronics. Digital commands take up far less space than a physical tool. I think that smart fasteners can attain much smaller sizes than conventional mechanical fasteners--in part because they overcome traditional spacing constraints and in part because smart materials will allow them to be smaller, perhaps even down to the nanotechnology scale. Cool stuff indeed.
This is going to give "Hardware Store" a whole new meaning. :)
I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser gate.
Of course, a hacker might also have fun and disassemble the neighbours car...
While it's moving, no less. Yet another brainless idea from the money-men.
The dangers of knowledge trigger emotional distress in human beings.
"I see you are trying to install a screw. Would you like to install a screwdriver?"
...that is requires a scientist to really screw something.
Thumb screws you insensitive clod!!
Fire in the hands of the village idiot is no tool, but a weapon of mass destruction
..."normal people cannot change parts in their car themselves..!
Or to prevent terrorists sneaking bombs into aeroplane service hatches? This isn't an entirely anti-consumers-rights technology. Judge it by its useful applications as well as its possible abuses.
I have been a user for about 10 years. This ends Feb 2014. The site's been ruined. I'm off. Dice, FU
...to hold back the "go screw yourself" jokes.... AARHRRHGHHRRRRRRR!!!!!!
A safe use, the police can have the car open itself when there is a suspect in the car.
Fight Spammers!
So... This is just another scheme so that they can sell you a part to actually work on your car. Or even worse, make you go to the dealer *shudder*.. I can see it now...
"Well sir, the bolts to your air filter are remote controlled... You need this $300 remote to take the cover off and replace the filter"
What's next, the same tool to be able to take the gas cap off, because that too is locked down? Only this time they sell it as a dealer add-on rather than a part?
Hmmm.
If the government gets their hands on these, then we're all screwed!
Hey, guys. Big gulps, huh? Cool. All right! Well, see ya later.
Unless the fastener costs less than a few cents, they are only going to have very specialized applications. Further, with a vibrant aftermarket repair and service industry it will be impossible, legally, to prevent people from understanding how to actuate these fasteners.
Of course, a hacker might also have fun and disassemble the neighbours car. While driving. On the freeway.
It'll be nice for the one or two niche applications that it was meant for. Beyond that, it's nothing more than a curiosity.
-Adam
FTA:
Seatbelts. Wireless or satellite signals from emergency control centers could release seatbelts, infant restraints and seating systems, enabling instant release of trapped or injured passengers from their cars in emergency situations.
Woman stuck in seat because seatbelt won't release: "Hello Ford? I'm in my car, it's about to fall off a cliff, and I can't get out of my seat - can you release my seatbelt please?"
Ford Customer Service: "Hold please ma'am - we're experiencing some slowdowns with our computer system. We'll just need to verify a few pieces of information with you first..."
I was in the park the other day wondering why frisbees get bigger and bigger the closer they get - and then it hit me.
Sure remote-controlled fasteners for cars and such is really nifty...
But wake me up when they get remote-controlled brassiers. You will know its true love when she trusts you with the remote...
There are two kinds of fool. One says, This is old, and therefore good. And one says, This is new, and therefore better.
to the words "wanna screw???"
Just when Congress appears ready to force auto makers to stop locking nondealer mechanics out of the car's diagnostic computer, they come up with a way to lock them out of changing parts. If they prove to be resistant to the average screwdriver or wrench, we'll know for sure what's up.
Only on
I seem to recall a scene of random car dissassembly in that movie...
Keep me from removing my air bag? I think not, this method presents nothing that a drill and appropriate sized bit can't resolve. Make the fastener internal so it's not exposed?? Carbide or diamond cutting wheels and torches can take care of that little problem? I'm taking it apart, who needs to put it back together again!
Never under estimate the ability to take something apart that was not designed to be taken apart.
I rarely read replies, it's my opinion and if you thought about your opinion a little more, I'm OK with that.
What happens a few years around the road when a little corosion sets in, and the little motor attached to the screw can no longer back it out. If you took advantage of the fact that it does not need access how do you remove it when the mechanism fails? I work on my vehicles, and often have to use a cheater bar to gain leverage on stubborn bolt. You would have to throw away the whole car, Starting to sound like "Brave New World"
Hollywood must have these because they have already appeared in the movie Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle. At the beginning of the movie, the Lucy Liu character is hidden inside a crate, but then we see wood screws spinning by themselves and popping out of their holes. Then Lucy Liu unfolds herself and climbs out.
I always wondered how she got those screws to come out, especially given that her hands were folded to the bottom of the crate and the screws were on the top. Now I know.
steveha
lf(1): it's like ls(1) but sorts filenames by extension, tersely
Remote control brains! We can make people do whatever we want them to do! INCLUDING OURSELVES!
you know, maybe it's better that some things in this world are left unwired.
Please help! I'm stuck inside my virtual reality headset!
What happens when these bolts rust as all bolts do? Time to break some more screw extractors?
The man who trades freedom for security does not deserve nor will he ever receive either. - Benjamin Franklin
Can they program the fasteners to reveal their crack at various times and swear like a sailor?
Click, whir, thunk! Hmmm, yep, there's number 1 piston now. Won't be too long now, Mrs. Jenkins.
BTM
That was the turning point of my life--I went from negative zero to positive zero.
Sounds like the makings for one hell of a new-millennium chastity belt.
They will have to pry my wrench from my cold dead fingers! I sware I will NEVER buy a car that uses these in a way that I cannot disassemble.
Who the heck wants remote controlled nuts and bolts? We need remote control zippers! Do I have to do all the thinking around here? Sheesh.
This has got to be worth a second or two off pit stop times. All the pit crew has to do is tell the bolts to undo themselves as the car comes to a halt and they can proceed directly to changing the tyres. Of course, there are probably going to be a few amusing incidents when they trigger the release too soon as well... :)
UNIX? They're not even circumcised! Savages!
What happens a few years around the road when a little corosion sets in, and the little motor attached to the screw can no longer back it out. If you took advantage of the fact that it does not need access how do you remove it when the mechanism fails?
:)
Not only that, but what if the encryption scheme gets messed up somehow (password recovery anyone?). There's quite a few hurdles they'll have to overcome before this will be completely viable. It's a cool idea nonetheless though.
I say we just start using velcro to fasten all of our most critical engine parts - there shouldn't be any problems with that, right?
I was in the park the other day wondering why frisbees get bigger and bigger the closer they get - and then it hit me.
System: "Your screwdriver screwdriver successfully installed the new Phillips 00 screw number 128696. Your car may not function correctly until you restart it."
User: WTF! The breakes aren't working!!! AAARRRGH!!
Yet another example of the growing trend toward the consumer not owning what he buys. Soon "buying" something will be more like leasing it, in that you'll only be able to do with it what the manufacturer wants to let you.
This space intentionally left blank.
One of the major features touted in the article is security, as in "you can't remove the fasteners without the secret code". As in "you can't install replacement parts unless you buy them from the original maker".
Forget DMCA tricks. This will force you to get all your parts and service from a single source, the company that originally made the product.
Thanks, but no thanks.
Hmmm. There has to be some tool that will remove a fastener without the security code, because what happens when a fastener breaks in such a way that it doesn't accept any code? "I'm sorry, you need a new engine, because the fasteners on your oil pan are broken. They don't answer the commands to unfasten." Not likely! So I guess if you are willing to go to a great deal of trouble you could pry out all the secure fasteners and put in your own.
Of course that would be a DMCA violation, but at least I can hope that the DMCA will be dead long before these fasteners are actually practical for widespread use.
steveha
lf(1): it's like ls(1) but sorts filenames by extension, tersely
They'd see when people had voided their warranties or even prevent unauthorized (by Microsoft of course) people opening PCs so as to switch to a non DRM-enabling BIOS.
Doesn't it make you feel good to know that our freedoms are protected by politicans, lawyers and journalists.
Judging from the photos on the site, those look like nice big bolts of the size one would use to attach an engine head to the block. Would the actuator mechanism really give enough of the torque for such an application???
If this can get space-qualified though, I can see those fasteners used on satellites or space stations (attach something outside without a need for a human spacewalk).
Paul B.
Worse yet, the car would slowly grind to a halt while the messenger loads...
Stop by my site where I write about ERP systems & more
... The potential for these in kinky sex toy designs is astounding.
I imagine the B&D crowd is panting at the very though. (But then they usually are...)
Bantam Dominique roosters crow a four-note song. Once you've heard it as "Happy BIRTHday" you can't NOT hear it that way
Quick- somebody take out a patent on remote-controlled WD-40!
The article cites labor costs as the main impetus for creating these self-fastening fasteners, but I think it's much more interesting to consider new applications.
One thing about nuts and bolts is that in order to use them, you have to place them where you have access and enough clearance to be able to attach a tool. You couldn't use nuts and bolts to fasten two blocks together, for example, unless you have holes extending through at least one of the blocks. With these things, you can bolt two blocks together with no obvious access points, and you can unbolt them at any time.
The benefits of totally blind fastening aren't completely obvious because we've worked out other solutions to the problem. Basically, we either weld things together, or we use some sort of snap-fit system, or we leave access holes if we might need to reverse the attachment. But I expect there will be some interesting applications for these things in the future.
This is the next, logical step in building our own Transformers. Yknow, they are more than meets the eye.
Using windows as compared to open source is like buying a car where the manufacturer sealed the hood shut; how rediculous would that be? Oh, nevermind....
-- Greg
Slashdot, would a spell-checker for posting be too much to ask? It's not rocket science!
How many times have we used the car analogy when talking about the right to work on and tinker with your own hardware and software? "...it would be like Ford putting a seal on my hood and telling me I can't change my oil or upgrae my carbuerator..." Sounds like they want to do that.
So what do we do about it? Worse, what analogy do we use to describe this travesty?
As usual, the submitter is a sensationalist fucktard. The first thing the article does is describe several uses for these products It lists six different categores, including optimizing manufacturing assembly, and sensing impending problems. Yes, restricting access is one thing that they _will_ be used for. But it's not even close to the only thing.
The article goes into pretty significant detail about the operation of the fasteners. The site is the web presence of a manufacturing industry rag, so it's not just ad copy.
This is the kind of hardware that's taking the auto industry out of the industrial age. A couple of exerpts I thought were particularly tasty:
I just had to replace the headlamp assembly on my wife's Corsica. It was a pain in the ass. Assuming that the control codes for these fasteners was publicly available it would've taken just a few minutes.
Aside here: Manufacturers are required by law to release a certain amount of information about their vehicles, to allow third-party repair shops to get in. This isn't playing DVDs under Linux or any heavy geek esoterica, it's something that affects Joe Legislator, so they're going to see to it that it doesn't inconvenience them too much.)
Or to allow terrorists to pop all the service hatches remotely while the plane is flying, causing a crash? It's a terrible idea, (almost) any way you look at it.
I'll have to agree here. After a 40 - 60 hour week writing code I go home to my air cooled, carburated, 1968 912. There is still a lot of use that can be had from Bugs, Busses, and old Porsches. They are easy to work on and get insane mileage when treated right.
It's nice to be able to work / play on something so simple when my day job involves things so complex.
tbdean
Huh. Looking on the non-paranoid side of things here, these little things could come in awfully handy. I mean, how nice would it be to have a self-unscrewwing drain plug on your oil pan? Just slide under your car, put the bucket under the plug, grab a wrench, crack the plug (probably wouldn't want to burn out the tiny motor on an overtightened thread). Then stand back, hit a button, and presto! Plug unscrews itself, falls into the bucket with the oil right behind: And you don't have to scald yourself or let dirty oil drip all over your hand. Kick ass!
I don't know how many slashdotters are mechanically inclined enough to change their own oil, though, so maybe this doesn't mean much to you. But it'd make me pretty happy come oil change time. And I bet some smart engineer could find a million other good, honest, uses for these things too. Personally, i'm daydreaming about a remote nut on a switchable Galant tranny for my DSM... mmm... instant FWD or AWD... *drools*
What better place to post articles about things screwing themselves?
Nah, it's not brave new world till you are encouraged to have sex in the back of your disposable car while driving to play electro-magnetic golf and taking drugs.
Damn, maybe Huxley was on to something.....
Why stop with disassembling your neighbor's car?
Take a trip to the dealership, and just walk up and down the rows of cars... >=)
I know the trouble you'd get in would be astronomical, but it just might say something to the dealers about "remote control" screws.
For the market in "kit" cars?
I'm not talking about the car from a certain older TV show, but rather those cars you can order in pieces from catalogues. The less control the average consumer can exercise over his own property, the more demand will be generated for the build-it-yourself models among people who care. The list of reasons to build grows:
1. Avoid airbags, nasty explosive pillow takes me out of control of my vehicle when I could be avoiding additional damage.
2. Avoid smog controls. Most states don't give a hoot what kind of emissions controls you have and whether they're working.
3. Avoid stupidly complex designs that raise my cost and assemble in such a way as to prevent anyone with 3 or more fingers on his hand from reaching that last screw...
4. Avoid these new fangled fasteners, tracking systems, black boxes, and other gifts from Big Brother.
Time to go buy a copy of "HOT ROD"
Trying to use sarcasm in text-based forums does not work.
The guy describes how complex a car's wiring harness is and how it can be greatly simplified by using network techniques. This is true. If everything that used electricity had its own network controlled switches then you could reduce the power wires to one. ie. one power wire going to everything with another wire with control signals multiplexed on it. Fine. We've been doing that for a while.
The guy then says we could use smart fasteners for that. I didn't see the logical connection.
Why is it that on a site that's supposedly for Techies/Geeks/other lovers of the Bleeding Edge that every new invention creates an automatic wave of "That'll never work, and it's a bad idea!"?
/rant
This isn't part of some vast conspiracy to bilk you out of your money. It's just a screw that works itself, and more importantly it's not necessarily meant for every application.
Sheesh.
The evil monkey commands you to dance.
I didn't read the article carefully, but I glanced over it didn't quite understand how these things work...
Does the their need to be constant power for the fasteners to keep working? I would guess that they would need to use a certain amount of power to be ready for the remote signal to fasten or unfasten.
The picture at the top suggests that they are wired - so is that for power or communication? Or both? Otherwise how are they powered, and what happens when the power source dies?
A much easier and cheaper lo-tech alternative is KeyLok. It's kinda like a tamper-proof hex bit, but more secure since the bolt heads (and corresponding key pattern) are made-to-order for each customer.
Entrepreneur : (noun), French for "unemployed"
...they could make pregnant teenage girls unscrew themselves.
Far from trolling,I was trying to make the point that technology is not responsible for the uses to which it is put - in the same way that American senator Orrin Hatch is wrong to introduce an act which legislates against technological products which could be used to illegal ends.
I have been a user for about 10 years. This ends Feb 2014. The site's been ruined. I'm off. Dice, FU
This could be easily fixed: Have a bi-yearly maintenance program that backs the screws off a few turns, then re-tightens them. Bolts don't turn because they seize. Move them around every once in awhile, and they won't. Of course motor failure is still a problem. Maybe a diagnostic system that monitors the motor and alerts you if it's starting to degrade. Then you can have it back itself out as soon as possible, before it's completely shot. Although that probably only accounts for a small percentage of motor failure events...
Just imagine the possibilities!
Sounds awfuly complex for "easily fixed". These things are still a bad idea.
Mad Software: Rantings on Developing So
Farrah is really hot in this circa 1980 film.
Anyway - the thought of these self fastening fasteners brought to mind this film.
Saturn 3
Yeah, these things can go where conventional tools cannot. But you have to remember that these things still need some sort of wiring for power. So don't count on seamlessly fastening two things together with no sort of external access whatsoever... unless you include a battery in the enclosed system, but then that just raises the overall price.
Hey, guys. Big gulps, huh? Cool. All right! Well, see ya later.
To hell with cars I can think of a slew of uses for these things in the space program. They'd sure beat the hell out of explosive bolts.
You are so boring that when I see you my feet go to sleep.
There is not too much tech in cars!
This just brings us one step closer to Devestator!
Constructicons transform and merge!
Visit the Game Programming Wiki!
Personally, I can see people war driving up and down the roads with a laptop and cars behind them falling apart as the bolts come undone ;-)
Has Comcast disconnected your Internet account? Same here. You can read about it at http://comcastissue.blogspot.com
It's YOUR property:G rassroots_A ctivities/hr2735.asp
http://www.aftermarket.org/Government/
...we will have self-sealing stem bolts!
your car get's hit by lightning?
You have to boost another car and get the wires mixed up?
Some guy like me comes along with a localized EMP generator?
CodeTrap (www.codetrap.net)
This would be useful for situations where a screw is used for varible tensioning, like tuning on a guitar. Especially in a hostile environment.
if you don't feel better tomorrow, we'll just cut your legs off about here. - Theodoric of York
does anyone know how much this is gonna cost?
like automobiles arn't as complex as they already are!
my truck is already jammed with wires!
NO THANKS! I like to work on my own truck!
i'm slightly confused? now, you have a dumb bolt, but this thing works like a nut? so it just releases from the little grooves?
I would like to go back to a carborator or an early EFI system.
This system does have some good applications. for security, yes, but in functionaliy no.
it's cool though! and i'm sure there are some practicle uses
A car that could transform into a boat! The screws are just the first step...
I work for an international fastener distributor. There are few exceptions to the rule that the greater cost of the fastening is in the installation, not in the fastener.
Looks like Textron wants to change that.
I see a shift in cost for manufacturers from labor to hardware, but not an increase in the cost overall.
Kind of interesting, my dad was working on a project at Honeywell (then Allied Signal) to design a very similar bolt with built in torque sensor for space applications about 15 years ago. That bolt eventually found its way onto the ISS (the bolt to be used on the ISS was probably designed and built at least another 6 or 7 years ago) and now, car manufactures are looking to mass produce this technology and put it in in millions of cars. Course its nothing new that this is how it happens with technologies, but it is always interesting to note.
The raticle talks about networking these.
By my estimate, there will be approximately 37.904 gazillion of these in use within 10 years. That's about 10 years before IPv6 will be widely deployed, so maybe we should just jump to IPv16 right now.
The Hillman Imp had self-untapping screws according to an article I read in some article.
Apparantly DC10's would jetison cargo all by them selves. Nobody undid any screws, locks or retainers.
Although on a DC10 I was on, a stewardess noticed that the exit door was open, as we were taking off...
Some engines have self-adjusting tappets.
Imagine that you had to argue a case with an intelligent fastner to convince it that it was very important that it let you remove it...
My hyperlinks aren't worth the paper they're printed on.
The problem isn't that they don't like the idea of a screw that works itself, it's that the screw only works itself when presented with the correct encrypted commands. Nothing infuriates your average geek like a door or a box or a bit of hardware they're not allowed to open up and look inside.
Now a self propelled screw that listens to a well-documented command set would be really neat...
0 1 - just my two bits
All I could think about was the screw in the movie rolling around and beeping when I read this :)
Can't wait for this to come into being, and then the inevitable experation period when your car falls apart after 60k miles.
"Or to prevent terrorists sneaking bombs into aeroplane service hatches?"
Just put a key lock on it.
Meanwhile, as one time aircraft mechanic, I'd say you don't want any pressure hull hatches that can be opened remotely in a terrorist world, and you sure don't want any extra weight. The last point is real serious. The industry goes nuts trying to shave ounces because it has a big impact on the bottom line. Airbus' new monster is causing real headaches trying to deliver the fancy interiors they've shown at cost-practical weights.
Remember Crazy Glue? It was one of the things that made the 747 possible. Saved a huge amount of weight in rivets. (In the interior furnishings! You can relax now.)
Keap it Simple, Stupid. Everyone out there knows that, and being an auto mechanic for ten years now, I'd hate to have to track down a problem to a fastener that intermitently lost its connection, decided to to losen itself, or over torque itself and break, or strip its threads. This will never work for two reasons, first off, I don't see how it can ever be cost effective, these things can't be cheap. Second is weight, the reason automakers have all been crying about how they're going to switch to 48 volt systems (any day now, riiiiight) is because the weight of the wiring for all of the electronic components in todays cars is piling up, and with thinner wiring they'll save weight, but have to run at higher voltages. Unfortunately they haven't been able to come up with connectors that won't jump an air gap and melt down connector terminals! So even if these things are wirelesss, the added weight on each connector will obviate itself out of existence. Where I do see these things going is on emissions control equipment to prevent tampering. No more hollowing out catalytic converters (for the morons that do it) and I can see these as being locks on ECU's to prevent them from being chipped or reflashed. It wouldn't be very difficult at all to have the ECU turn on the check engine light if one of these bolts were removed, but then again, it's bad enough chasing down loose connections and loose gas caps, the last thing I want these days is to chase down a loose bolt!
Loud Pipes Save Lives
"Faith: Belief without evidence in what is told by one who speaks without knowledge, of things without parallel." - A.B.
.... because sure as de sun do shine, murphy's law states whatever is broken is buried under 15 layers of complexity that didn't exist 20 or 30 years ago. No, modern cars are in no way easier to work on. Not-even-close, they suck bad. As long as they are running, great, as soon as they start to go, nightmare.
And smart fasteners? More stuff to get salt and rust and corrosion into and bork. No thankee. It's bad enough already with what we have now. You really want them to get a toe hold with DRM hardware on your car?
I like normal cars, just plain doors, windows that are biologically operated, not electromechanical, engines that have the minimum needed to function, no more added complexity.
If society was serious about pollution, we would just burn cleaner fuels like methanol or ethanol,not nasty petroleum products (which is what henry ford wanted anyway). If we really wanted better mileage then, we could have simple and cheap 2 cylinder commuter cars on the roads with a normal manual transmission with 6 gears maybe.
I'll keep driving much older simpler cars until they are completely outlawed, then I'll switch to oat burners.
And just in case anyone wants to say modern cars last longer, I got an old v-8 van with original engine and tranny and rear end, 309 thousand on it now. Synthetic oil and change it often, simple enough to do, fires right up, runs great. Plugs last so long I can't remember last I changed them, 97 I think. I've done one carb rebuild, and changed the starter and alternator/belts twice that I recall, changed a couple of lights, and new shoes and pads and that's about it.
... remember that feeling you got when the legs sprouted out of that guy's head in John Carpenter's "The Thing" ?
That's the feeling I get when I hear about something as stupid as this... I mean, I guess it's the illogical evolution of the entire "tamper-resistant" fastener craze of the modern automotive industry, but as a professional mechanic for almost 20 years, I know from experience that fasteners with funny heads on them do not deter the fools and thieves out there from trying to take things apart - they only serve to provoke them into doing much more damage than they would have done had you simply used a normal bolt.
It's just bulls#it, plain & simple.
Mnem
It's impossible to make anything foolproof - the fools are too damned inventive."
Now nerds can screw over bullies cars even easier than ever! I can just see it now.
*Nerd presses a few buttons, cars tires flatten and fall off, engine and components fall into a heap, seats, chairs, and straps fall down off of the interior, car trunk pops open and then flings off.*
Needless to say, whoever thought up this was is a fuckin moron. Why the HELL would I trade my screwdriver's torque for a couple small magnets?
Candy-Coated Knowledge
Service. Microchips embedded in fasteners respond only to encrypted signals, restricting access to service procedures Nice... this reminds me of encrypted printer cartridges (http://www.wired.com/news/digiwood/0,1412,57907,0 0.html) and encrypted garage door openers (http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,60383 ,00.html) used as anti-competitive devices.
Sometimes hackers just get way too much credit. We definitely need to educate people regarding the pitfalls of technology and the dangers of relying too much on security. However, it's erroneous, and dangerous, for us to portray the idea that some 'hacker' could simply sit at a street corner with a laptop and create havoc with all things that contain a chip. We need to raise awareness, but let's not create an irrational fear.
Sure, I suppose a 'hacker' could have fun and disassemble the neighbours car - after they pop the hood, hook up their laptop (likey using special hardware), and run the correct program (probably with little to no 'hacking' involved). Heck, while they were at it they might as well go the extra mile and hack the car's chip.
Give credit where credit is due, but let's not make 'hackers' more powerful than they really are.
Thanks to modern technology, we can combine the most confounding problems of automotive maintenance in one place. A bolt in an inaccessible location, which must be removed with a proprietary tool, is stuck due to rust and/or faulty wiring! Yay!
From the auto-industry perspective, this probably doesn't sound like a big problem...
-jim
Finally we know what Self-Sealing Stem Bolts were used for in Star Trek.
The future is here!
The running joke in Deep Space 9 about self-sealing stem bolts is about to become a reality.
Or to prevent terrorists sneaking bombs into aeroplane service hatches? Yeah, right.....
You could also just install a keyed lock to prevent access to the service hatch, but that wouldn't create the same profits that you can generate by playing the terrorism card whenever you pitch some useless idea dreamed up by the trained chimps in marketing.
09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0
...like when that little shit with the subwoofers goes blaring past my windows at 2AM. Goddamn, will it feel good to press the "disassemble" button on my remote control!
--
Don't like it? Respond with words, not karma.
How are they going to work when they're rusted on solid? I can't tell you how many times I needed a long "persuader" bar to break a bolt loose, used a "nut cracker" on it, had to grind it off, or use a hacksaw.
With the new synthetic oils, engines are being designed be maintenance free.
These provide no security whatsoever. Take a Dremel and cut a slot in the bolt head. Voila, it can be removed with any standard screwdriver.
and OF Course! easily interchangable Giant Killer Robot parts!!!
This is kind of like Closed Source for cars and other devices. It is nearly impossible to buy an appliance that can be fixed these days.
Do It Yourself is one of the key sources of training and background for scientists, engineers and technicians. Second sourcing is having more than one source for components and parts. This is very necessary for competition and vitality. No lock-in.
The alternative is for half the people to become narrow hyper-specialists and the other half to be totally out of it. That's ok for maintaining a status quo, but won't advance society much.
Your background reading, a classic: "Little Black Bag" by Cyril M Kornbluth, a future wherein a tiny fraction of humans are educated and the rest just coast along comfortably numb. A doctor's bag gets sent back to the 20th century.
The game of Go (Igo, Weiqi, Baduk) has the simplest concept and the deepest play.
I doubt that there are many fasteners that can withstand the carbide-tip drill bit attack.
Now I can at last have self-sealing stem bolts! Exxxxxxcellent...this will be better than sharks with frickin' laser beams.
16 mm hex head bolt, 1.5 inches long, any hardware store, maybe 10 cents. 16 mm self actuating smart bolt with radio remote control and onboard sensors and hoorah like that, 16$ or more probably.
conspiracy--ya, I'd call it one, designed to separate you from your cash.
I've already seen cars go from an average normal 12 month auto loan to now what is it, 60 months? Because they are too complex and too expensive for what they are supposed to be. Not looking forward to the 10 to 20 year car note of the future just because you can "pop" a part off and on, IF you have permission from the manufacturer and IF it's legal for you to do so and IF you can afford the part right then and IF it's still working after thousands of miles of bumps and heat stress and corrosion. If it's hard to get an old bolt off now, how hard is it when you can't even get to it because it's buried under something else and it stops working correctly? What might have been a little drill action and some easy-outs now will take major disassembly and a torch or just replace the macro assembly the little busted part is connected to.
Maybe these things might be useful for a very few extrme niche applications, but putting them everywhere will lead to nothing but more corporate monopolism and losing your ability to actually work on your own stuff and it won't make things cheaper. Automation and introducing robotics on the assembly line was supposed to make cars cheaper (I heard this real time way back when too many times, that was the promise when they started doing it), but it didn't, no matter what country or what company makes them, they are much more expensive then they used to be and repairs are higher and replacement parts are higher. Not just inflation, even taking that into account, they are just *more expensive*. It's already bad enough with complexity and cost, why exactly again do we want to make it worse/more complex and more expensive?
Windows has detected remote unscrewing of your motherboard in progress. Would you like to restart your computer after the process is completed?
o Yes
o No
Read the article closely. It says that fasteners themselves account for about 5% of vehicle production costs while actually using fasteners accounts for 40% of the production overhead. This is essentially comparing 5% of apples to 40% of oranges as neither of the terms is adequately defined. What's the ultimate cost saving in producing vehicles if 1 dollar in labor costs are saved by replacing a 49 cent bolt with a 49 dollar bolt? Oh, and the article was written by a manufacturer of 49 dollar bolts.
i can just see it "highrise leveled when ceo accidently sat ont his remote...."
</cynicism>
Looking at the cutaway diagram of the fastener, I first thought this might be a parody or hoax. Automate something as trivial as a bolt? But then if you read what applications they are talking about, it seems these fasteners aren't meant to make nuts and bolts obsolete, they are meant to restrict access to certain replacement parts. It would be more appropriate to call them locks rather than fasteners. Locks controlled by someone other than the customer.
It's going to be the suppliers' world. You'll just consume in it.
As a 25 plus year hardware tech and backyard mechanic this invention initially facinates then horrifies me. Reason: there isn't anything man-made that dosn't break. These things will be a nightmare to work around when they fail?
With regular bolts there's various strategies for removal if the usual method fails: penetrating oil, applied heat, drilling them out if needed. None of this may work on smart fasteners either because the problem is not simply being 'stuck' or if designers take advantage and use them in places you couldn't normally get a wrench, there wouldn't be any room for the last-ditch drilling solution.
There are already cars out there famous for being difficult to work on, you know, hoist the engine to change the spark plugs sort of thing. I envision at least a period where designers go thru a learning curve overusing these things and creating a whole new level of difficulty for the maintenance field. (Remember difficulty = time = cost to repair)
You'll notice in the article none of the reasons listed to use them include anything related to maintenance.
For $109 you can get the software and the hardware (sans laptop) from here.
Maybe we DID take the blue pill. You wouldn't remember anyway.
I agree completely. On top of that, the part count on the car goes up, since now the bolts are assemblies, which means more thngs can go wrong. The aerospace industry, which I work for, is trying to reduce part count not increase it. Also, another improtant point to consider is that you have to power them. How will that be done? More wiring in the car? that will be a gold mine for the car dealers. I had the oxygen sensor go bad twice on my last car (a Dodge Neon) due to broken wires. Now multiply that by a hundred or more. It seems that this will be good primarely for the car makers and dearlers.
OK this is a little late but... Has anyone ever had a bolt that was rusted in place? How the heck are these things supposed to generate enough torque to back themselves out once a little rust sets in. Built in WD-40?? "Oh the bolt is stuck we have to replace your whole engine"
"Average intelligence is pretty damn stupid"
there is nothing you americans can understand unless you put it in cars talk. You are sad.
Lets say a terrorist writes a virus that un-bolts an airliners wings mid-flight.
Better ban these from airliners
SCO (noun.)- A Slimy Corporate Ogre. Often seeks free money.
I'm sure there are many that can, carbide is very brittle any flex/vibratiion and the brazed carbide will break and you now have a useless $20 drill bit.
You want to let everyone around you know where you are, especially those SUV drivers mentioned above.
Only two things keep you alive on a motorcycle,
1) Out-thinking the others, like the mom, on her phone, in the mini-van, not paying attention at all and gonna switch lanes without a signal.
2) Announcing your presense and getting everyone on the street to see where/who you are, and to make them stare at you so you know that they REALLY SEE YOU!
Being an annoyance can help your visability as well as making you look pretty intimidating.
Don't forget that you'll have all the inherent mechanics of an ENGINE in your bolt. I can't wait until some genius decides these things need their own smart bolts.
Brings a whole new meaning to End Of Life doesnt it when the bolts on your wheels unlock themselves, maybe cos you pass a hotspot, or a repair dealer with a cash flow problem.
I think we need some laws that make it illegal to build a devices intended to prevent, the repair or alteration of the product offered for sale. Designing and making any device to remotely controlled by anyone other than the owner, should be jail time for the seller, the company CXO's and owners, do not pass go, do not collect marketing award.
I am old enough to remeber taking cars to bits for fun and profit (or was it girls... Yeah!)
How are kids gonna do that if they have to buy BOLT.EXE from Frod Rolloversoft for $15,000. As other posters noted, this particular idea is way beyond stupid, mechanically. However... the business model that gives rise to the idea needs to be made illegal.
Its time to define into law a few mechanical and software reverse engineering maintenance, and alteration, rights and privileges.
Isn't this also a matter of national security? We are going to look really stupid if we cant maintain simple mechanical devices and systems in any future era, where our dealer infrastructure and InfraDaft Boltware companies are smoking holes in the ground.
Some things need to be fixable with simple tools, fast, in nasty places.
I would support unpleasant consequences for any product designer that infringes that mandate. Did they stop teaching basic humanitarian and business ethics in design schools or something?
In the interim, punish companies that produce such trends in products by supporting a gratuitous existence failure in their sales. Do not buy the products. I like the Golgafrinchan solution. Sod all political correctness for a farce, dump all the morons, make em somebody elses problem.
There is no god; get over it already! Never exchange a walk on part in the war, for a lead role in a cage.
No doubt there are applications for -sensors- on fasteners (can you say "MD-83 jack screws"?), but suggesting that nuts and bolts install themselves sounds idiotic. How does a microprocessor go about delivering 100 ft-lbs. of force - or 20 in-lbs for that matter, more efficiently than a WRENCH? Sounds like justification for bad engineering - in fact I've owned cars designed with these principles, e.g., "the engine has to be raised to replace the exhaust head-pipe," or "every accesory must be removed to reach the water pump." -Now design can suck and magic bolts can be the excuse. Awesome!
My only complaint is that the screw driver tips don't have a lock and you can end up having them fold into your knuckles when the tool slips off the screw.
Reviews with a twist! http://www.sardonicbastard.com
How about a swiss army knife that has a USB key, LED and pen? http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/tools/6b3b/ =P
Brain kills internet cells.
Isn't that what nanotechnology is all about?
-jim
Looks like America's biggest corporations have just come up with yet another way to screw themselves.
The higher the technology, the sharper that two-edged sword.
I changed the battery on my car without using a memory keeper, and now the radio won't work unless I can somehow find the magic 5 digit code. It's my radio. I didn't steal it. It's not a password I set, like with my computer. It's simply not working, unless I can pay the dealer 85 dollars to recode the radio. What a crock of shit.
Imagine what these bolts will do if you change your battery. THey'll lock themselves and then when your belt breaks and you need to loosen the doohickey to get the thingamijiggar out of the way to put the new belt on you'll have to pay the dealer 85.00 dollars to recode the bolts. Fuck that.
This would completely eliminate anyone working on their own property, put 3rd party repair shops out of business, and aftermarket replacement/upgrade components would become non existant..
Between encrypted keys which would be protected via the DMCA and custom 'dealer only' tools, it would give the manufacturer total control after the sale.
Electronics has its place, but the industry has gone far beyond that 'place', we don't need a chip in everything..
---- Booth was a patriot ----
What exactly is this self actuating bolt going to push against to thread/unthread itself?
This is windows we're talking about:
"I see you are trying to install a screw. Please select the appropriate size hammer.
Wow. How did you increase the local atmospheric pressure to 400 bars to allow for the higher SPL?
Crashing your car has a double meaning!
Someone gets near a transformer (hit by lightning, etc...), and all the fasteners actuate. Somewhere, a lawyer is smiling about this.
I would be really interested to see a self-driven fastener setup the proper torque sequence and pressure on a head block, as well.
Unless he has exceeded the speed of sound then the sound energy will still reach him. The source and the receiver are moving at the same speed, so in your river analogy they move together. Even if the receiver was stationary, so long as the current is slower than the wave speed, waves will still arrive at the receiver.
5/10 for coming up with a reasonable model. 0/10 for thinking it through. You fail it.
Assuming the head of this thing has a whopping 1" radius from the center of the bolt, that's 360 lbs of force the fastner needs to apply. And the largest volume that this fastener will take up? 3.14 in^3? 6.28?
These screws will only be useful for detailing unless they can tap power magically from anywhere they want.
--<Mike>--
Now that would be an answer:
S: you see ,with those remot-controll screw, you...
[Pruneau
Also plenty of locations you can't even get close to fitting a drill head containing said bit (or a different bit) anyway.
-------- This space intentionally left blank --------
or just drill out the i-bolt and re tap and die the hole. depending on its location this could prove to be a real PITA though.
telnet johnson-chevypickup.car
/usr/bin/removebolt -v *
...... removed ...... removed ...... removed ...... removed ...... removed ...... removed ...... removed ...... removed ...... removed
$
VERBOSE OUTPUT
bolt 1
bolt 2
bolt 3
bolt 4
bolt 5
bolt 6
bolt 7
bolt 8
bolt 9
"It's better to be a pirate then join the Navy"
What about when the fasteners break and either fall off or get stuck on?
Somewhere between the self-sealing stem bolts and "You drive me nuts", this subject is ripe.
This file does not contain information about your hammer.
I'll Find You Peer, If It's The Last Thing I Do!!!!
Honestly though, this is the most hairbrained idea I've ever heard of. I RTFA and can't believe they want do this. But then again, the automobile industry was never accused of trying to design cars that are "easy" to work on.
Authority questions you. Return the favor.
with intelligent fasteners, installing and replacing entertainment systems becomes as simple as pressing a remote control button.
I for one welcome our new intelligent unfastener overlords...
The difference between spam and poop is that you don't have to dig through septic tanks looking for real food. -- Me
You shouldn't put coffee in the freezer, it affects the oils/water in the beans and changes the flavour. Putting it in the fridge is good though.
I'm guessing that wasn't on their radar screen...
Brings new meaning to the term "self-tapping screw".
Seriously, though, I wonder about the mechanical stresses that fasteners undergo. Will their environment preclude things like smart metals that depend on temperature or whatever to activate? And, of course, the vibration might mess with the control circuitry.
Still, it is cool. This would be a boon for Harley owners. AFAIK, they often have trouble with bolts that loosen up under the vibration. These could tighten themselves to counteract that.
Plus, it would be cool to have a big red "Disassemble" button.
i'd hit it so hard, if you pulled me out you'd be the king of britain [bash.org]
Hack the firmware to change a burnt-out head-lamp will now own you a nice place in a federal jail along with a criminal file and all the advantages this brings - if you happen to be unlucky enough to be a USA citizen.
First we had the chipped inkjet cratridges (Lexmark and Epson lawsuits against 3rd-party refills) and now, people unlucky enough to live in places that have DMCA-ish laws will make hobbyists and DIYers federal criminals. There appears to be no end to the industry self-service... new opportunities to extort people come up all the time.
When they come out with these bolts and try to force you to use their dealers for maintenance, some guy's gonna make a virus to disable the mechanism and allow everybody to do their own repairs. Sure, it's not kosher DMCA-wise, but who gives a damn about the DMCA?
Next time you might want to actually read the post you respond to.
Hmm, the pipes on a motorcycle are directed to the rear and emit a fairly low frequency sound.
The sirens on emergency vehicles emit a much higher alternating frequency sound and are directed towards the front. Yeah, good comparison.
Notice that I was talking about the guy next to you, not the person in front of you or the person behind you. And yes, pipes do project towards the sides as much as they do to the rear. So the comparison to an emergency vehicle, despite the frequency difference, remains valid. Especially since you pointed out how certain pipes could be heard at extended distances.
Bikers who repeat this mantra are either ignorant or simply grasping hold of some justification for their rude, idiotic and inexcusable behavior. I especially like it when the guys with no helmets adhere to it, yeah you're big on safety issues moron. I'd like to find someone whose mantra this is and rev a Harley right outside their bedroom window every 5-10 minutes all night long and then see if it's still ok.
You will notice that I left the HD group outside of my statements. I don't personally approve of pipe you can hear from a mile away. These pipes are way over 100 dB.
Your right to make obnoxious levels of noise ends at my ears.
Then we need to make talking on cell phones while driving illegal. We need to make it murder (or at least manslaughter) when motorcycle rider looses his or her life in a traffic accident where the driver of the car was at fault. They get away with a traffic infraction way too often. Until things are bit more equal in the loss of life department, I reserve the right to protect myself from people (like you) who can't read and think my life is of less value because I ride a motorcycle.
A loud car gets a ticket and a legal obligation to get it fixed or the registration suspended, loud Harleys should get the exact same treatment.
Aftermarket emissions parts for cars have a process to certify them as compliant with the EPA. Motorcycles have no such mechanism. Since there are no rules in place to cover it, then there can hardly be a mechanism in place to penalize them for rules they aren't breaking.
"All I want is a warm bed and a kind word and unlimited power." - Ashleigh Brilliant
I've already seen cars go from an average normal 12 month auto loan to now what is it, 60 months? Because they are too complex and too expensive for what they are supposed to be. Not looking forward to the 10 to 20 year car note of the future just because you can "pop" a part off and on, IF you have permission from the manufacturer and IF it's legal for you to do so and IF you can afford the part right then and IF it's still working after thousands of miles of bumps and heat stress and corrosion.
This isn't really true; cars aren't that expensive. You can still get a good car for only $15,000, and a great car for a little over $20k. Yes, the average price of new cars has gone over $20k now, and lots of cars cost $40-60k. But this is because people are largely stupid, and buy cars that are seriously overpriced, and/or far more expensive than they should be buying given their income level. Look at all the fools driving huge 8 mpg SUVs with 22" chrome rims these days. Do they really need them? Of course not. More importantly, can they afford them? Probably not. In fact, the way most people manage their money these days, if they were to miss just one paycheck, they wouldn't be able to make their car payment and it would be repossessed.
Just because there's a bunch of idiots out there buying flashy $50k vehicles on under-50k incomes doesn't mean cars are too expensive. It means peoples' spending is out of control.
I think the point about the pipes is not that the people on foot can hear, but rather that the people who insist on driving about in armored, insulated SUVs can hear. I agree, the pedestrians should be able to go about their business "unharmed and with comfortably non-ringing ears," but I can also understand the concern that too many others on the roads pay woefully little attention to their surroundings. The lives the grandparent poster was talking about were most likely of those of the motorcycle riders.
So before you get your dander up, I think it's important to note that, while the argument "Loud Pipes Save Lives" does come across as "arrogant, self-centered, thoughtless, and logically inconsistent" when directed at peds, it takes on a whole different layer of meaning when directed at the modern-day highway-approved personnel carrier with the tinted windows rolled up tight, the sound system blasting, and the cell phone ringing. I find it frightening enough to drive my little '81 Toyota Corolla amidst these behemoths, let alone get on a hog. For that matter, I only dare take my bicycle when I can be sure of a back route off the major thoroughfares. Too many drivers are just plain scary.
"What in the name of Fats Waller is that?"
"A four-foot prune."