I think there should be at least one fairly general sensor-actuator pair adapted to an open environment rather than a closed event set. Like camera and mobility. Roomba has IR obstacle detection and mobility.
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Interesting that many near-robots control a contained environment (fridge, bread machine, rice cooker). And temperature, moisture are intensive property scalar measures where a point measure will characterize extensive state of a whole contained, well-mixed space.
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A real robot sees an unbounded containing environment in full 4d: 3 space plus time. Kitchen appliances are really 1.5 d in a bounded space they contain: time and a set of point measures like temperature. Roomba is 3d (2d plus time). Flatland robot.
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Appliances are like plants.
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The robotics phase shift in factories is a good dividing line. Even high end CNC machines seem qualitatively different from general robotic manipulators. The philosophy of movement is more open-ended and general.
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How so? CNCs and FANUC-style arms are essentially the same controls / sensing wise.
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Factory floors seem to flow more flexibly? Less assembly line like...
A bit woo I know. But seems more reconfigurable.
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Nope, they're the same. It's all pre-programmed for both, no dynamic stuff other than calibration / compensation.
You can even use the same software to program both of them some times.
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In the ones I’m thinking of, robots work in a more open topology workspace/cell than CNC machines. The programming model is the same but for eg they can get into nooks and crannies with weird workholding like hands while CNC machines afaik work within a controlled volume
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You're not talking about the vast majority of factory robots, but slick demos for the most part though. Which exist for CNCs too actually.
Factories still run on dumb CNCs and dumb robot arms.
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You’re such a buzzkill 😆
Next you’ll tell me 3D printing is all hype
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Haha - welcome to the industry! :D
For real though, I see it more like a giant opportunity that most companies don't have robots, and those that do have super old school ones.
AI / Robotics is the 6th TechRev IMO (not Green Tech as has been suggested)
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