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IBM Robotic Coworker Will Help Engineers Fix Broken Systems
coondoggie writes "When it comes to fixing broken systems, especially in remote locations, engineers could soon turn to a new mobile robotic system IBM is developing that could help them more easily find the broken equipment, offer up information about the system and provide real-time visual support from supervising experts. The mobile maintenance, repair and operations prototype includes an application that lets a supervisor monitor an engineer's progress towards the maintenance site, and a robotic arm coupled with a camera system, a microphone and laser pointer."
That starts the help wizard.
Hideki!
But can it fix my broken coworker? Morale is horrible, wages are stagnant and our future is bleak. Please invent a robot to fix that.
and it will mix up Chicago and Toronto
Another acronym from IBM in 5... 4... 3...
You meant Replace not Help.
Watch the IBM video. The robot is the supervisor. The robot tells the human what to do. Sometimes there's someone remotely controlling the robot; sometimes it's following canned instructions. The human is there to do the manual labor.
This is the future.
Machines should think. People should work.
CC.
TaijiQuan (Huang, 5 loosenings)
Of course, during early deployment such innovative technology might be expected to have a glitch. A temporary setback.
... What are you doing Dave?
You likely won't wanna service the computer of the future. Liquid cooled where it has to be, tightly packed and hot as hell everywhere else!
The cool aisle will be replaced by the hotter aisle, and no human would wanna spend more than 5 minutes in it, even with a proper burn resistant suit on!
Cheers!
.
Ok, that is the stupidest thing I've ever seen. It's a simple ticketing system just like any company has, but now it tracks the techs via GPS and watches what they do via webcam. I'm sure mentioning you use such a system will have potential employees jumping at the chance to let you track and video tape them throughout their workday. Whos idiotic idea was this?
Sounds like they've described a scutter.
Thanks.
"I see you're trying to fix a linear accelerator, would you like some help?"
And who is responsible when the system tells the human to incorrectly repair something? If taken to the extreme companies will (attempt to) hire the least expensive human asset and expect the computer system to provide infallible information.
and fix it when an upgrade of udev breaks their network connectivity?
you are taking a long time in the bathroom should I call a doctor?
Watson also had the text of the question fed to it, because it can't to speech to text like Siri can, or Google search can. So you'll have a robot, that needs a maintenance man, and an operator, and a maintenance man to fix the robot, *AND* someone to convert the speech of the maintenance man into text for it.
The only thing IBM is trying to make here, is a patent claim it can use when somebody *actually* makes a working maintenance robot in a decade or so.
You'll never see an IBM 'Maintenance Robot' division, ever.
Tags: IBM Patent Troll
(In a decade it will make 'I told you so' easier if I tag comments now)
Thank goodness this is an IBM product rather than another MS abomination. Future history could have read 2014: The year Clippy became self aware and doomed the fate of Internet in a nanosecond
But you know in the short term, this will be abused to justify laying off more hardworking citizens that are just trying to earn an honest living.
Sometimes capitalism fails.
I remember IBM field techs in the late 80's carrying two way messaging devices. They'd type in computer model and part numbers, and would get back diagnostic info and part availability.
It was pretty neat. Given the frequent repairs they did to our IBM RT's, it was essential.
Just don't ask it to open the pod bay doors.
Table-ized A.I.
"Dude, I swear it's the AE35 unit!"
"Now, how would you like to schedule a service call to have a human come out and repair it? You can:
- Chat online with a RoboChat
- Chat online with a Human-like software chat service
- Go through 1000 hoops to get a phone number to talk to automated systems that probably won't remember any account numbers or company names your devices are associated with
- Get sent to the IBM SignMeUp page, which is only occasionally up and running, to get a $1000/mo minimum service to be able to call off-shore or $3000/mo minimum service to be able to call on-shore representatives to schedule service
- Go back to watching the cool robot find problems so you can be shocked and awed by the new technology that removes Humans from the workplace
When we finally get around to ordering Asimo to clean up Fukushima, this is how we'll make sure he doesn't just head for the pub instead ...
The University of Sheffield engineering staff proped up by IBM funding put a laser pointer on a remote controlled camera; these are, desparate times indeed. Amazng, the voice who's tone can cure insomnia says this will help maintanence workers find the machine that's broke? The demo goes on to use cell phones for people to coordinate and communicate with each other. Earth shaking concept, that the hole factory has to shut down so that the repair guy can hear the instructions.
I'm thinking the real robot is the narrator. They need to work on increasing the amount of inflection in the voice to make it sound more natural ...
I'm just scared I'll come home one day and find it screwing a toaster.
The Kruger Dunning explains most post on
a robotic arm coupled with a camera system, a microphone and laser pointer
If the robotic arm picks up the microphone this could herald the birth of Robot Karaoke.
<blink>down the rabbit hole</blink>