

iRobot's Autonomous All-In-One 3D Printing, Milling, Drilling & Finishing Robot - rpm4321
http://www.kurzweilai.net/irobot-files-patent-application-for-autonomous-all-in-one-3d-printing-milling-drilling-and-finishing-robot

======
uvdiv
The only thing that's not automated is the part that spits out frivolous
patents.

~~~
DannoHung
If they're bringing something to market, even if not immediately, that can do
this, it's not frivolous. There are a lot of serious technical challenges to
be solved creating a machine that can function as described.

~~~
uvdiv
Patenting an invention is orthogonal to commercialising it. The point of
patents is to sell abstract ideas: the _basic interaction_ is to license a
patent to someone else. It's a coincidence if the same person who thinks up an
invention, is also in a position to develop it fully.

I think this meme -- that your patents are for your own products -- is an off-
target response to patent trolling.

~~~
DannoHung
Pretty sure you don't _have_ to license a patent to another party if you
intend to produce something.

------
bobbles
Title seems pretty misleading since this is just a patent application and not
an actual product.

------
jobigoud
1\. Add another module in the same vein as the filabot¹: something that
creates plastic filament suitable for 3D printing from plastic waste.

2\. Add an articulated arm to pick plastic waste and feed it to itself.

3\. Send it on waste mountain.

¹ [<http://filabot.com/>]

------
Cogito
First reported at [0]. You can find the patent application at [1].

The basic claim is for a tool head and two 'manipulators' that, together, can
add and remove 'components' and material from components. In particular, the
two manipulators would provide for 6 dimensions of freedom for the tool head,
and this seems to be the core of the application.

[0] [http://www.3ders.org/articles/20130123-irobot-filed-a-
patent...](http://www.3ders.org/articles/20130123-irobot-filed-a-patent-for-
autonomous-all-in-one-3d-printing-milling-drilling-and-finishing-robot.html)

[1] [http://appft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-
Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sec...](http://appft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-
Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PG01&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsrchnum.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=%2220130015596%22.PGNR.&OS=DN/20130015596&RS=DN/20130015596)

------
pmorici
Lets hope it works better than some of their other products. I tried their
gutter cleaning robot once and it is hard to see how it could have worked for
anyone.

