Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Robots Make the Coins Go 'Round, Down Under

Posted by timothy on from the can-haz-coin-collections dept.

inkslinger77 writes "Computerworld has a cool slideshow of a Kuka Titan robot and a bunch of AGVs managing the circulation of coins at the Australian Mint. There's also a lengthier article where the head of the project talks about the main reason robots were employed. One of the reasons being that they radically reduce OH&S risk: 'We are finding that the AGVs are much safer and more reliable. Robots are never affected by having a bad night with the baby and falling asleep at the wheel. They are extremely accurate and they always do the same task in the same way.'"

6 of 126 comments (clear)

  1. I don't believe a word of it... by benjamindees · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Robots also can't tell their neighbors about how much more money the government is printing.

    --
    "I assumed blithely that there were no elves out there in the darkness"
    1. Re:I don't believe a word of it... by twostix · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Given that (according to Bernanke) "printing" new money now consists of literally adding zeros to a banks balance digitally workers at the mint aren't going to notice anything until months or years later anyway.

    2. Re:I don't believe a word of it... by benjamindees · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Oh you're absolutely right. I was being somewhat tongue-in-cheek. But obviously there is some ulterior motive for automating this workforce to such an extent. Hauling around money isn't particularly difficult, dangerous or precision work.

      But it is frightening to think about how much financial engineering has gone on in recent years. Printing money is literally no longer necessary in order to inflate the currency. Credit limits can be increased electronically. Paychecks are direct-deposited. It's just bank balances, like you say.

      --
      "I assumed blithely that there were no elves out there in the darkness"
  2. Port of Hamburg by seifried · · Score: 3, Interesting

    You think that's interesting check out the port of Hamburg, shipping containers being zipped around on robotic trucks/lifts/etc.

    Terminal Automation

  3. Re:Why don't they hire men? by twostix · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Across most of the people that I know that have had babies the woman still does 90% of the heavy lifting once the baby is born.

    Despite what the cool inner city chattering classes like to believe traditional roles are still absolutely dominant in western society and really have hardly budged in the last 50 years except where financial necessity requires it. It's a tiny, tiny fraction of people (generally from the same cool inner city chattering class) that have bought into the strange ideology of suppressing and heaping scorn on a womans natural motherly instinct.

    So yes while it's accurate to say that "Its not just women who look after the baby you know." for the most part for 90% of couples, it actually is the women who look after the baby and for most they wouldn't have it any other way.

    I'll await the tidal wave of "but they don't know what they want because it's not what I say they should want you patronsing misogynist!!11" (without seeing the hypocrisy of course).

  4. Re:Hrmm by twostix · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Worse is buying a $5 dollar silver coin for 35 reserve bank $1 coins where 5 years ago it cost 8 reserve bank $1 coins...

    Our money is becoming worthless.