Robots that can repair themselves and self-augment

boing
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Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2019/12/10/robots-that-can-repair-and-aug.html

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This is like version 0.01 alpha for a Von Neumann machine. Next step is to make it entirely out of 3D printed parts and include two 3D printers (one to repair the other when it breaks).

The step after that is to integrate the mining and metallurgical refining facilities on board. Plus a wicked complex computer to understand not only all of the aspects of mining and its own design, but be smart enough to understand what is broken and what to fix.

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I, for one, welcome our new robot overlords.

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Pretty sure we already have these. I think they’re called ‘living organisms.’

:wink:

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Living organisms do not respond so well to “a human physically pointing out that it has a screw loose”.

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An exaggeration on the part of the authors, surely? This makes it sound like the robot independently determined the need for a tote bag and arrived at the utility of a hook. I would think it is more like, “they also taught it to install a hook”, or even more precisely, “provided the commands for its existing API that caused it to install a hook”. But that’s not how you get grant money.

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I am in no way terrified by this…

blinks twice

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Whenever I tell a fellow human they have a screw loose they always take it personally.

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If you pay for a robot, it stands that you’d want it to repair itself, until the Corp. that built it says it can’t repair itself, then your back to square one.

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At last it’s possible to tell a robot “Go screw yourself!” and…it will.

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Robots are strong, and they’ll steal your medicine.

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oh my god

humans, trust me, you don't want this

i know some of these guys

it's not that they're going to take over the world

it's just that it's like robot Crossfit™

they literally will not stop talking about their screws

it's like

    literally nobody:

    these guys: so i was tightening my own screws the other day....

i mean i can see the appeal of not being reliant on fleshbags for this stuff

but have some sense of perspective about it
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