Hadrian is not the first large-scale industrial robot that can complete a whole build from start to finish. It's not even the first outdoor construction robot.
What's remarkable is it's both. As Mike told me, "Anything you can build inside a factory ... we're getting really, really good at. Trouble is, nothing's happening outdoors."
That's because environmental factors like wind and temperature variations can make life difficult for robots outdoors.
Most robots can't adjust to small, quick changes in wind or temperature fast enough to keep up.
That's fine if little wobbles won't make a big difference. But when you're working on something as large-scale as building a house and a light breeze could lead to bricks being laid way out of position, it can get very dangerous.
So up till now, any robot building on such large scales had to be indoors in minutely controlled environments.
Hadrian has overcome this problem using the precision technology Dynamic Stabilisation Technology (DST). DST was developed in Perth by Mike's cousin, Mark Pivac, back in the early 2000s. The computer program measures environmental factors an astounding 2000 times per second, then accounts for them in real time.
If robots replace the construction workers, who then will wolf whistle?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 23 2018, @03:32PM (6 children)
If you can automate something, then said automation always makes economic sense; hence, automate as much as possible.
The fear is what to do with a bunch of people whose existence no longer makes economic sense; the major problem with those people is that they reproduce. I'd suggest paying people not to have children.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Tuesday January 23 2018, @03:55PM (5 children)
Patently false. For example, automation doesn't make sense when the equipment costs more than the value you'd get from using the equipment. Why buy a $40 electrical stapler for the occasional bits of paper in your home when a $10 manual stapler does the job without the need for batteries?
Well, don't be an idiot and make the problem worse by going out of your way to automate their usefulness out of existence. I see the people who claim that is a problem on the forefront of making it a problem. When you advocate policies like higher minimum wages, mandatory reduced work weeks, etc, you're part of the problem not part of the solution.
(Score: 1) by Sulla on Tuesday January 23 2018, @04:15PM (1 child)
I am more concerned about the ability to find an automatic stapler that actually works..\
Ceterum censeo Sinae esse delendam
(Score: 1) by khallow on Tuesday January 23 2018, @04:39PM
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 23 2018, @08:12PM (2 children)
Obviously, the assumption is that a certain task is repetitive and without end.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Tuesday January 23 2018, @08:20PM
Like my stapler example? The problem is not that there is a definite end to the number of papers I'll ever need to staple, but rather than this need doesn't happen frequently enough to justify the expense of the more expensive automated solution.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Tuesday January 23 2018, @09:08PM