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Siemens Now Commands An Army Of Spider Robots (dailydot.com)

Posted by EditorDavid on from the browsing-the-web dept.

An anonymous reader quotes this article about Siemens' army of autonomous spider robots -- each one the size of a microwave, communicating with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi to create "a collaborative mind": It's expensive to build an automated factory, and even more pricey to repurpose one. German manufacturing giant Siemens wants that to change, and they've developed an army of robot spiders to make it happen. Utilizing what Siemens calls "mobile manufacturing", researchers in Princeton, New Jersey have built prototype spider-bots that work together to 3D print structures and parts in real time.
Siemens hopes to build even larger spider robots than can weld cars.

7 of 119 comments (clear)

  1. Soft tooling versus hard tooling by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Anyone who has worked with products from prototype through commercial production knows that purpose built tooling will always produce better throughput at lower unit cost given a sufficient level of demand. Throwing more resources into general purpose manufacturing shows a lack of commitment to the products a company produces. Who the hell wants to buy a product that can become abandoned by the manufacturer the instant something potentially better comes along?

    1. Re:Soft tooling versus hard tooling by JoeMerchant · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Who the hell wants to buy a product that can become abandoned by the manufacturer the instant something potentially better comes along?

      Judging by the current consumer product life cycle... practically everyone.

  2. Deus Ex by TooManyNames · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Anybody else get flashes of repeated shocking after reading the summary? It's been a while since I played that game, but I distinctly remember hating the spider-bots. Following the link, the bots even resemble those from the game...

    --
    "Is not a sentence" is not a sentence. Well damn.
  3. Better Company Name?? by zenlessyank · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Using Siemens to squirt out robots seems a little perverted. I have been giggling to myself for decades every time I see one of their vans go by. Maybe Clitterus, Peenus, or Spermz would work better....

  4. Re:calculating by Joce640k · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Is 'microwave' the new international unit of measure?

    Does it refer to ovens or waves of electromagnetic radiation in the 3GHz range? I think the distinction might be important.

    --
    No sig today...
  5. Re: calculating by michelcolman · · Score: 4, Interesting

    They're not really spiders though: they seem to have only six legs. Calling them ants would be more appropriate.

    From a behavioral point of view, too: spiders are solitary, and many species just sit still 95% of the time. Tarantulas are about the most boring pets you can have. Ants, on the other hand, hardly ever sit still and work in groups.

  6. Re:calculating by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I think these are closer to the spiders in the Tom Selleck movie Runaway.

    "In the near future, a police officer specializes in malfunctioning robots. When a robot turns out to have been programmed to kill, he begins to uncover a homicidal plot to create killer robots... and his son becomes a target."

    http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088024/