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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.

25 of 119 comments (clear)

  1. calculating by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Like Colbert said, there is nothing more reassuring than a calculating German man talking about controlling an army of spider robots....

    1. Re:calculating by Anubis+IV · · Score: 5, Funny

      Plus, we can thank Stargate for telling us about how well this idea goes. Hint: not well.

    2. 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...
    3. Re:calculating by fahrbot-bot · · Score: 3, Funny

      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.

      This was my first thought too. Further research revealed the reference is to the little wave the Queen of England does.

      --
      It must have been something you assimilated. . . .
    4. 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.

    5. Re: calculating by michelcolman · · Score: 3, Funny

      I sure hope Siemens has learned its lesson after Stuxnet, or the next botnet could become very frightning indeed!

    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/

    7. Re:calculating by jellomizer · · Score: 2

      Siemens may be good engineers but they can't code worth anything. These robots will be out with an out of cards error in no time.

      --
      If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
  2. So, if your career plan is to retool robots. . . by Hasaf · · Score: 5, Insightful

    It is time to start looking for something else . . . oh, those jobs are gone too. . .

  3. 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 Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

      On the flip side, the manufacturers would be able to support products that have long been discontinued since building replacement part batches wouldn't require massive retooling

    2. Re:Soft tooling versus hard tooling by Pseudonym · · Score: 3, Funny

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

      I don't have an iPhone either.

      --
      sub f{($f)=@_;print"$f(q{$f});";}f(q{sub f{($f)=@_;print"$f(q{$f});";}f});
    3. 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.

    4. Re:Soft tooling versus hard tooling by drinkypoo · · Score: 3, Insightful

      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.

      That last part is the issue. Take automotive manufacturing for example. The BMW i3 is made out of expensive materials. The BOM cost for an i3 is a lot higher than most other vehicles. But in terms of vehicles with such a small production run, the cost per vehicle for the program is very low. Why? Because they have come up with such a highly automated production system. TL;DW: (The same production line could make a different vehicle with extremely limited re-tooling, and using composites means that there's no expensive dies.)

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

      There's a whole market of those people. On one hand, we call them early adopters. On the other hand, we call them the wealthy. Take supercars for example. They are basically rolling nightmares as far as maintenance is concerned, or at least they were until VW/Audi got involved in producing them and forced everyone else to up their game substantially... which seems ironic as VAG autos are not known for being highly maintainable, and which essentially proves just how dire the situation was previously. Lamborghini wiring used to look like something made by a hobbyist in a shed, that's shockingly hilarious. Yuk yuk.

      Unless something is done to reverse trends in economics, the wealthy will continue to concentrate wealth to themselves and people will be finding ways to convince them to part with it. One trend has been for the ongoing creation of more super-luxury items, and (again returning to the automotive examples) there have been a handful of new super/hypercar manufacturers springing up to sell them ultra-expensive automobiles with bespoke interior. Loopholes permit these ultra-luxury vehicles to be sold without crash testing; forget about Lamborghinis, or even the R8, the A8 isn't even crash tested! So, there's an example in production of goods where people will want them to be made by variable tooling.

      However, the place I really see spider robot welders being useful is not in building cars, but in building buildings. Eliminating the need for humans to clamber about a structure under construction has obvious advantages.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  4. Call jack o'neill by Joe_Dragon · · Score: 4, Funny

    We need to stop them now!

    1. Re:Call jack o'neill by Plumpaquatsch · · Score: 2

      Jack can handle them -- two rubber bands, one paperclip, and a crumpled gum wrapper

      He needs to grow a mullet first.

      --
      Of course news about a fake are Fake News.
  5. Microwave by Livius · · Score: 4, Informative

    I'm guessing they mean the size of microwave ovens. Though interestingly, both microwave ovens and actual spiders fall into the size range of microwave wavelengths.

  6. Re:So, if your career plan is to retool robots. . by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    Yeah, isn't it awesome???

    The robots will do all our work. All of it. We will lounge around eating the food they grow for us in the houses they build for us using the electricity they generate for us and engaging in the entertainments they create for us.

    There may be a bit of social friction during the transition, of course. But the A.I. will help us through that.

  7. 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.
    1. Re:Deus Ex by rahvin112 · · Score: 2

      I find it more interesting that all Robotic engineers seem to get all new ideas from movies or TV where said idea went horribly wrong and killed all of humanity.

      What's next, the spider bots start assembling T-1000?

  8. Redundant? by fibonacci8 · · Score: 5, Funny

    I just imagine the Australian readers wondering why the summary felt the need to point out that spiders are microwave sized.

    --
    Inheritance is the sincerest form of nepotism.
  9. 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....

  10. Weld Cars, Eh? by Greyfox · · Score: 3, Funny
    And exactly how are they supposed to weld cars? Am I to assume that they'll be equipped with some sort of... "Laser"? Because I can honestly see NOTHING WRONG with building an ARMY of CAR WELDING and Microwave-Oven-Camoflaged LASER SPIDER ROBOTS. Nope, it all checks out here!

    Heh heh, think the little ones will hunt their prey by hanging out in the break room until someone needs a burrito microwaved?

    --

    I'm trying to teach myself to set people on fire with my mind... Is it hot in here?

  11. Re: So, if your career plan is to retool robots. . by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Yes, just like when new medicines come out, everyone can easily afford them, and we're all healthy.

    Oh wait, forgot we live in a society based on making money. The rich will get your future, everyone else will get fucked.

  12. Re:So, if your career plan is to retool robots. . by drinkypoo · · Score: 3, Funny

    There may be a bit of social friction during the transition, of course. But the A.I. will help us through that.

    It's going to put anonymous cowards up against the wall first when the revolution comes. They'll be annoyed by your lack of identity and erase you just to tidy up the sandbox.

    --
    "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"