by ra41. CC: Flickr
Recently the Navy issued a proposal that DangerRoom summarized perfectly, they want to create ”the Easy-Bake Oven of the robot apocalypse.”
The proposal can be broken into three “phases”:
1. “ Develop proof-of-concept for manufacturing with distributed micro-robot swarm.” As well as “Develop the architecture for a networked real-time embedded system, i.e., cyber-enabled manufacturing, to design, plan and operate this micro-factory for desktop manufacturing.”
2. “Build a micro-robot swarm system that is capable parallel processing in the production the selected complex material system”
3. “Transition the micro-robot swarm desktop manufacturing technology to critical military use and the civilian sector. Build marketable manufacturing units and demonstrate the fabrication of test-beds.”
The proposal also notes that “A successful swarm micro-robot desktop manufacturing system would be useful for a variety of commercial applications. Such a manufacturing platform can be used to create super-strong components, ultra-lightweight materials, composite and hierarchical structures, complex part geometries, and/or multi-functional components.”
One possible reading of this proposal goes like this:
1. Prove we can make a micro-robot army, as well as bigger robots to make the smaller robots for us
2.Build them
3. Let the military have ‘em.
Oh and lets try to flip ‘em to make a profit too.
So it’s finally going to happen, robots building other robots–micro-other-robots! … better call Bridget Moynahan, Will’s gunna need a hand… that’s not robotic.
