Getting the bugs worked out.

Financial ExecutiveVol. 9 Nbr. 3, May 1993

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Summary


Insect-like robots - The Future

Robotics research has so far concentrated on robots that are constructed on the basis of anthromorphic design. As a result, conventional automation has been largely confined to humanoid robots that work much in the same way as their human equivalents. Robot arms, for example, are controlled through advanced central control computers which provide instructions on how they should move, a procedure that mimics human arm movement. Unfortunately, such humanoid automata have proved to be poor substitutes for human labor. The prohibitive expense of using such robots has meant that only well-funded companies could use them in production lines for tasks involving repetitive motion. A better approach to automation would be to design small, inexpensive robots that can mimic the behavior of insects working in groups. This line of research, which was first explored in military laboratories, has great potential, and can be used to develop low-cost payload transportation systems.

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Extract


Getting the bugs worked out.

When robots with workplace potential first appeared, maybe we got too much too soon. Technological feasibility for robotic technology arrived at about the same time as th...

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