[comp.robotics] High Accuracy manipulators, why ?

null@rimfaxe.diku.dk (Niels Ull Jacobsen) (09/06/90)

As far as I remember, this thread started off by someone asking
which robot technologies had the most "potential". And someone else
mentioned, among other things, high accuracy manipulators.

Now I didn't quite get why this technology would be so terrible
important. I mean, where do you actually need to have robots
operating at 0.01 mm exactness ? Perhaps in assembling some
electronics, but aren't a lot of this going on chips anyway ?

Personally, I would think that areas like computer-vision
and self-mobility are more prosperous. But perhaps I've
overseen something. I read this group for fun and haven't
done any actual work on robots.

But couldn't you guys hurry up and invent an automatic
vacuum-cleaner/duster ? I hereby offer my college chamber
as a beta-test site (certainly a "target-rich environment"!)

               Niels Ull Jacobsen, Inst. of Datalogy, U of Copenhagen.
               null@diku.dk
               (Speaking from the void ..)