On: Mercedes Boots Robots from the Production Line

[thehoff]

My takeaway:

They are removing robots that are cordoned off into areas to keep workers safe. These robots are not very good at customizing/changing quickly.

What they are being replaced with is people and much smaller robots that work side-by-side with those people. Assisting more than trying to do it all.

[melling → thehoff]

Sounds like a business opportunity to build better robots.

[sschueller → melling]

The large Robot manufactures such as ABB are already working on such solutions: http://new.abb.com/products/robotics/yumi

[ashmud → sschueller]

Fanuc also has a collaborative robot:

http://www.fanuc.eu/de/en/robots/robot-filter-page/collabora...

[ju-st → sschueller]

The real billion dollar idea is robots which don't need engineers to instruct them. These robots will simply learn from humans who literally show them e.g. how to pick parts from a conveyor and put them in wire mesh crates.

[dbcurtis → ju-st]

That is what Rod Brooks is pushing with Rethink. We'll see if it works.

[sschueller → ju-st]

This robot almost does this, you take its hands and 'show' it what is should do.