RIMM's LEGO Machines Test Blackberry

LEGO - my - Crackberry writes "Matthias Wandel is an engineer at Research in Motion (RIMM), the company that makes the Blackberry. What did RIMM turn to for testing the antenna reception of one of its 900MHz devices? LEGO machines. Specifically a device made of LEGO that could rotate a Blackberry about its horizontal & vertical axis in a pre-defined pattern."

Comments

I'm disappointed

[Flying pig]

I once had an engineer working for me who could have designed that in no more than 6 weeks. At the very least he would have used PTFE for all the bearings, glass filled nylon for the articulating parts, industrial grade stepper motors and a couple of networked industrial controllers for the program. He would probably have designed a cover made from a single sheet of vacuum formed Makrolon to ensure nobody touched any rotating parts while it was in use, plus some sort of optical scanning system to stop it moving if anything came too close. And there would probably have been change out of $100000.

Engineers today, what do they know? Make it too simple and too cheap and the boss will think anybody can do it.

Re:Surprised?

[Oktober Sunset]

Thats why you put in a request for a 'configurable block-based modelling and prototyping system', rather than a 'box of lego'.

Re:RIM

[dr_dank]

In a fit of Samuel L. Jackson inspiration, it could mean Research In Motherfuckin' Motion.