
SRI's Micro Robots Can Now Manufacture Their Own Tools - devy
http://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robotics/industrial-robots/sri-micro-robots-can-now-manufacture-their-own-tools
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pklausler
It's another step towards a von Neumann - Bracewell probe. I'd like to see
self-replication soon!

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jamespitts
Add this flexible assembling mechanism to 3D printing and some traditional
robotics... and you have a very interesting builder-thing indeed.

Highly complex machines such as drones could be rapidly manufactured or
repaired from some raw materials in the field, so long as pre-manufactured
pieces such as microprocessors, optics, motors, etc. were in place.

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nsajko
But they're not really robots though? Just actuators.

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beambot
I challenge you to come up with any definition of "robot" that isn't hotly
contested by someone in robotics. (Disclaimer: I'm a career roboticist.)

The most succinct definition I've ever heard: A robot is a machine that
doesn't work; as soon as it starts working, it's called something else (vacuum
cleaner, autonomous car, dishwasher, Rosey, etc.)

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sehqlr
Your definition of robotics is similar to one I've heard for artificial
intelligence. As soon as AI works for something, it's renamed (machine
learning, computer vision, natural language processing, etc.)

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rasz_pl
DIY version by mikeselectricstuff (Apr 2014)

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_Wh6i8Hb6c](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_Wh6i8Hb6c)

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abecedarius
On the magnetic levitation at the end: how's that going to work? Like
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetic_levitation#Servomecha...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetic_levitation#Servomechanisms)
?

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hkmurakami
My friend works on this project at SRI and I've had the fortune of seeing the
little robots in action. It's quite a marvel seeing structures getting built
in this distributed fashion via a group of robots.

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ColinDabritz
Wow, those videos are mesmerizing. Impressive work, feels like the future!

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rihegher
I wonder if it could be used for recycling of electronic component which at
the moment is incomplete and/ or unprofitable process

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trhway
seeing DARPA on the title screen of the video naturally cross connects it with
the other news about Pentagon drone swarms - lets SRI robots have "weapons"
instead of tools, and swarm of carbon fiber bodied Piranya or killer bees with
titanium teeth or stingers with high voltage contacts naturally come to mind
:)

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sbierwagen
The robots are controlled by the surface they're traveling on, they don't work
outside of it, much like how you can't glide an air hockey puck down I-5.

