I feel like I've been reading this article every five years since 1990.
Microbots Are on Their Way
31–40 of 40 posts
Re: Microbots Are on Their Way
#32I really like the slaughterbots: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HipTO_7mUOw
Along similar lines:
Re: Microbots Are on Their Way
#33This looks like the most important point:
> Dr. Miskin worked around the power conundrum by leaving out the batteries. Instead, he powers the robots by shining lasers on tiny solar panels on their backs
Re: Microbots Are on Their Way
#3420 years ago, when I was a bright eyed graduate student, I was mesmerized by MEMS (micro-electro mechanical systems), which promised similar revolution. I learnt about 'artificial muscles', and MIT Technology Review even ran a cover issue on how MEMS will revolutionize everything. This article could have been written in the year 2000 except it would have mentioned MEMS then. Now there is no mention of it. I'm older a…
MEMS have been much quieter in their influence as it turns out. Now they're in everything with an IMU or accelerometer, especially including things like your phone; they're in disposable pressure sensors; and they're in microphones[1]. They've revolutionized some parts of how we live our daily lives, though not in the same way innovations like the car, airplane, computer, or cellphone have. I expect microbots will be…
MEMS is also used for laser beam steering (depth sensors, projectors), oscillators and even loudspeakers. MEMS is truly a breakthrough where physics meet electronics.
Commercially MEMS is also very interesting because it’s a branch of semiconductor manufacturing which is dominated by different players compared to the regular TSMC/Samsung/Intel trifecta.
Re: Microbots Are on Their Way
#35Flying microdrones have obvious applications (entertainment, replacing fireworks, on demand traffic guidance, etc.), but ground based versions are a mystery to me...
Re: Microbots Are on Their Way
#3620 years ago, when I was a bright eyed graduate student, I was mesmerized by MEMS (micro-electro mechanical systems), which promised similar revolution. I learnt about 'artificial muscles', and MIT Technology Review even ran a cover issue on how MEMS will revolutionize everything. This article could have been written in the year 2000 except it would have mentioned MEMS then. Now there is no mention of it. I'm older a…
For me enabling cheap accelerometers so it's fairly trivial to give our machines sense of 'up' and movement is a sufficient enabled advancement for any hyped up technology.
Re: Microbots Are on Their Way
#37Re: Microbots Are on Their Way
#38Earlier quoted context omitted.
MEMS have been much quieter in their influence as it turns out. Now they're in everything with an IMU or accelerometer, especially including things like your phone; they're in disposable pressure sensors; and they're in microphones[1]. They've revolutionized some parts of how we live our daily lives, though not in the same way innovations like the car, airplane, computer, or cellphone have. I expect microbots will be…
MEMS is also used for laser beam steering (depth sensors, projectors), oscillators and even loudspeakers. MEMS is truly a breakthrough where physics meet electronics. Commercially MEMS is also very interesting because it’s a branch of semiconductor manufacturing which is dominated by different players compared to the regular TSMC/Samsung/Intel trifecta.
Some devices use MEMS oscillators instead of crystals, which has the bizarre side effect of making them allergic to helium: https://ifixit.org/blog/11986/iphones-are-allergic-to-helium...
Re: Microbots Are on Their Way
#39Re: Microbots Are on Their Way
#40I wonder what kind of "brain" would even be possible to put in a robot this small, given the physical limit we're approaching. Could limit the potential for certain dystopian scenarios.
A simple one. With robots this size, you'd want to rely on numbers, not smarts. Kind of like life does at cellular and sub-cellular level - things don't think much, but they sure do bump into each other frequently, and there's a lot of them.