A robot to replace the need for farmers to go inside the grain bin • Hacker News Board

Re: A robot to replace the need for farmers to go inside the grain bin

#21

Post by happytoexplain » Thu, Jun 10, 2021, 6:21 PM UTC

throwaway0a5e wrote: post #18

Friendly reminder that people who deal with "unsafe by office worker standards" stuff day in and day out do not shovel money at you without critical thought just because you can portray your product as improving safety. These guys aren't wringing their hands and clutching their pearls over the thought of a dangerous job. They're finding a way to be careful and mitigate the risks of the worst outcomes and then getting…

Your first two sentences are pretty unfriendly. I'm not trying to be snide.

Re: A robot to replace the need for farmers to go inside the grain bin

#22

Post by wbc » Thu, Jun 10, 2021, 6:22 PM UTC

Probably coincidence but I've noticed a ton of grain articles lately, here's a trending on on reddit from today:

https://old.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/nwmect/til_t...

Re: A robot to replace the need for farmers to go inside the grain bin

#23

Post by djmips » Thu, Jun 10, 2021, 6:26 PM UTC

If grain bins are dangerous to go inside, maybe there's a low tech solution like safety lines attached to a belt similar to mountain climbing or high rise construction.

Re: A robot to replace the need for farmers to go inside the grain bin

#24

Post by ClumsyPilot » Thu, Jun 10, 2021, 6:27 PM UTC

happytoexplain wrote: post #21

throwaway0a5e wrote: post #18

Friendly reminder that people who deal with "unsafe by office worker standards" stuff day in and day out do not shovel money at you without critical thought just because you can portray your product as improving safety. These guys aren't wringing their hands and clutching their pearls over the thought of a dangerous job. They're finding a way to be careful and mitigate the risks of the worst outcomes and then getting…

Your first two sentences are pretty unfriendly. I'm not trying to be snide.

I don't think so - I got burned precisely by this -> people that work with danger regularly are actually used to it and do not faint or fall to you lap if you offer some marginal mitigation

Sometimea even to their own detriment

Re: A robot to replace the need for farmers to go inside the grain bin

#25

Post by h2odragon » Thu, Jun 10, 2021, 6:28 PM UTC

A farmer I knew had run the numbers on the cycle time for unloading grain wagons at harvest time; paying neighborhood kids $3/hr (in 1982 or so) to dance on top of the grain as it drained paid off. There were bars to grab on the top of the wagons so it wasn't deeply dangerous, but it certainly got exciting.

His kids were the ones driving the wagon trains from the fields to the silos. That was even more exciting. No insurance, just "if you break it you have to help fix it"

Re: A robot to replace the need for farmers to go inside the grain bin

#26

Post by xboxnolifes » Thu, Jun 10, 2021, 6:29 PM UTC

happytoexplain wrote: post #21

throwaway0a5e wrote: post #18

Friendly reminder that people who deal with "unsafe by office worker standards" stuff day in and day out do not shovel money at you without critical thought just because you can portray your product as improving safety. These guys aren't wringing their hands and clutching their pearls over the thought of a dangerous job. They're finding a way to be careful and mitigate the risks of the worst outcomes and then getting…

Your first two sentences are pretty unfriendly. I'm not trying to be snide.

I feel that hackernews readers need the blunt reminder once in a while.

Re: A robot to replace the need for farmers to go inside the grain bin

#27

Post by hpoe » Thu, Jun 10, 2021, 6:29 PM UTC

wbc wrote: post #22

Probably coincidence but I've noticed a ton of grain articles lately, here's a trending on on reddit from today: https://old.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/nwmect/til_t...

Ya I read PG's article on getting a publicist recently. Now I wnat to know who is this company's publicist.

Re: A robot to replace the need for farmers to go inside the grain bin

#28

Post by thaumasiotes » Thu, Jun 10, 2021, 6:29 PM UTC

RankingMember wrote: post #11

knodi123 wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why did they decide to name it after a horribly destructive pest that plagues owners of grain silos? Would the Roomba have been as successful if it was named the iCockroach?

The Beatles did alright!

People like some beetles. Weevils are always bad.

Re: A robot to replace the need for farmers to go inside the grain bin

#29

Post by h2odragon » Thu, Jun 10, 2021, 6:30 PM UTC

djmips wrote: post #23

If grain bins are dangerous to go inside, maybe there's a low tech solution like safety lines attached to a belt similar to mountain climbing or high rise construction.

Safety lines in this context help retrieve the corpse.

Re: A robot to replace the need for farmers to go inside the grain bin

#30

Post by AbrahamParangi » Thu, Jun 10, 2021, 6:31 PM UTC

throwaway0a5e wrote: post #18

Friendly reminder that people who deal with "unsafe by office worker standards" stuff day in and day out do not shovel money at you without critical thought just because you can portray your product as improving safety. These guys aren't wringing their hands and clutching their pearls over the thought of a dangerous job. They're finding a way to be careful and mitigate the risks of the worst outcomes and then getting…

Not an expert on grain but in general vibration will aerosolize particles (preferentially the smallest ones) and it's amazing what will burn when you aerosolize it as a fine powder.