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

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.

Comments

calculating

[Anonymous Coward]

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

Re:calculating

[Anubis IV]

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

Re:calculating

[Joce640k]

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.

Re: calculating

[michelcolman]

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.

So, if your career plan is to retool robots. . .

[Hasaf]

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

Soft tooling versus hard tooling

[Anonymous Coward]

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?

Call jack o'neill

[Joe_Dragon]

We need to stop them now!

Microwave

[Livius]

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.

Redundant?

[fibonacci8]

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

Better Company Name??

[zenlessyank]

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....