Robots Do Dumb Things Too

irreverant take on robotics and automation

Automation doesn't have to be complicated, it just needs to work, just make it effin work.

Let's get Volted

📣 Topics of the Day 📣

  • I Thought We Were Having A Conversation

  • Once Upon A Robot

  • F'n Awesome Drones

  • Tech of the Day: Don't Buy A Junk Laptop

Todays Newsletter Brought To You By

Styleintelligence

If you haven't heard of STIQ then get out of your cave. Thomas Andersson has been at it building reports for the robotics and automation space for years. Him and his crew do a fantastic job compilng data into an intelligent conversation. He sent me one of his reports on the AGV/AMR space and it's a fantastic read. He makes money on the paid reports so pony up to get the good stuff!

I Thought We Were Having A Conversation

Oh damn, we're all screwed!

I grew up in the 80's and 90's. I watched all kinds of scary movies from Nightmare on Elm Street to Halloween to Stephen King's collection but this movie is just messed up.

I won't get into the plot too much other than you have a cute playmate robot that turns into an overly obsessed sociopathic killing machine. I enjoyed the cute part thinking all this is a nice AI driven robot with positive intentions. When things turned dark I quickly drew parallels to what could become with all the AI we're seeing integrated into our world.

I love using ChatGPT but it won't take much to have it learn to be condascending, disrespectful, and cruel. And to think that someone or some country won't do this is naive because I'm certain it's being created. So here's a business idea for you....AI robotics countermeasures! Maybe some kind of high voltage or magnetic sticky pack that does it's thing when stuck onto a robot.

Once Upon A Robot

Once upon a time, there was a robotics company named Newco Co. They had a fleet of robots that were all different shapes and sizes, from little droids to giant mechanical beasts. They were having trouble keeping track of all their robots, and managing their data was a nightmare. Life sucked for IT and the maunfacturing engineers didn't have it any better. Even HR hated them.

One day, a wise old, really old, like super really freaking old procurement guy was told to make this problem go away. So he went looking for a cloud data platform that helps robotics companies easily deploy, scale, and manage their fleets. Newco Co decided to give it a try.

This procurement guy was a real micromanager, you know the type. He was super anal about all the details and wanted their robots' every move and data be tracked in the cloud. He didn't know what that mean but he thought it sounded smart. Plus, he insisted, make it device agnostic so we can install it on all our robots, regardless of their shape or size.

Ok, so this story isn't a true story but you get the point. This is something that's needed in our space. I didn't find many companies that could solve the problems of this fictituous (but not) purchasing guy but the one that stuck out was Formant. Looks like they're a cloud data platform that helps awesome robotics companies (that advertise with us) easily deploy, scale, and manage their fleets.

So how does Newco Co fair in this fairy tale of a story? They're the most fantastic robotics company in the world, and all their robots lived happily ever after except, um.... except for the one that got stuck in the elevator. But that's a story for another day.

Tech of the Day: Don't Buy A Junk Laptop

When looking to buy an industrial laptop for programming automation and robots, there are several key factors to consider. Lot's actually, but here are the five most important things to know so you don't end up feeling mentally depleted with a boat anchor of a laptop. Why 5? So you can count them on one hand and so I don't spend all night writing about laptops.

  1. Processing power: processing power is one of the most important factors to consider when looking to buy an industrial laptop. This is because programming and running complex automation systems requires a lot of computational resources. Look for laptops with high-performance CPUs and GPUs, as well as large amounts of RAM. Ideally get one with a video card.

  2. Operating System: The operating system is another important factor to consider. Windows and Linux are the most common operating systems used in industrial automation but Windows is often preferred for its ease of use and wide range of available software, while Linux is preferred for its stability and security.

  3. Durability: Industrial laptops need to be able to withstand harsh environments and rough handling. Look for laptops with ruggedized cases, shock-resistant hard drives, and spill-proof keyboards just in case your cat pukes all over it. Additionally, the industrial laptop should be able to operate in extreme temperatures and be vibration resistant, you know, just in case you decide to remotely program a plc while driving an atv on vacation in the middle of a heat wave.

  4. Connectivity: Industrial automation systems often require multiple types of connectivity, such as Ethernet, USB, and serial ports, yeah serial ports, like on a PLC5. Make sure that the laptop you choose has the necessary ports and interfaces to connect to the automation equipment you will be using.

  5. Software compatibility: Before buying an industrial laptop, make sure it's compatible with the software and programming languages that you will be using for your projects. Nothing sucks more than a nice new shiny laptop that doesn't run what you need!

In addition to these five key factors, it is also important to consider the battery life and weight of the laptop, as well as any additional features that may be required, such as touchscreens or mobile broadband capability.

I've not used one but the Dell Latitude 7424 would be my pick!

Hey we've got a guy for that! We now have a list of 900+ vendors in our basic list!

F'n Awesome Drones

Does hearing the name Futaba make you weak in the knees? How about if I whisper servo into your ear? Well this post is for you, you perverse R/C junkie. My first r/c car was a Tyco TurboHopper unit from Radioshack, I loved that damn thing. Looked like this pic but black. It was so cool cause it even came with little orange cones!

For nostalgia sake here's also a video of one:

The point is I've loved really cool tech for a while. I'd spend hours on my Apple IIe playing flight simulator(aka watching a green dot cross the screen while monitoring gauges) and then go outside and beat the crap out of my r/c car. So it's no surprise that when I came across some badass looking drones I instantly thought..I want one. Like holy shit, a grown man or woman's R/C dream! Tanks, On-Road, Off-Road, even flying drones. This isn't a paid ad or anything which sucks cause they should pay me but when I went to their website I watched the video of their tech until it looped. Then I went down a rabbit hole looking for more videos of their stuff doing cool shit! This right here is the type of heavy duty drone and robotic tech we need for fun. Yeah it can be used for work stuff too...BORING. But you know a business hack? Buy one of these for your "business" then go take it out and have fun with it. Tax write-off and entertainment in one. Thank you Uncle Sam!

Have feedback or want to contribute a video, article or tacos? Maybe I'm interested maybe I'm not sure that I'm looking for it. If you have something constructive you can catch me on Twitter. @robotsrcoming or email us at [email protected]

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