Thousands of companies came together at the Anaheim Convention Center last week to display their technologies during the Pacific Design & Manufacturing, ATX, and MD&M West shows, among others.
Click on the image below to see some of the cool items that were on display during the three-day event.
This 3D-printed platypus was printed with an Objet printer by Purple Platypus. It definitely made us stop and take a second look.
Puddles was 3D printed, then painted to show how a raw 3D printed object can be turned into a complete, show room quality product / prototype. high end auto clear coat gets that ceramic look.
I know what you mean, Chuck. I haven't come into contact with any of them myself, personally, but it would seem sort of weird, even for someone like me who grew up in the Star Wars generation. ;) I'm sure we're not alone, but perhaps as robots become more advanced and are more prevalent in the human world, people will just get used to them. As with most things, the more you experience something, the more familiar it becomes.
For whatever reason, Liz, I would have trouble taking any of these humanoid robots seriously in a business setting. I'd feel comfortable talking to a Telepresence system on a wall, but I can't imagine carrying on a discussion with humanoid robot that's following me down a hallway.
Ah, interesting...so perhaps "the eyes" have it? (Pun intended. ;)) But seriously, it is intresting to think what parts of the robot make it more human-like and therefore make people more comfortable interacting with it. I would imagine eyes, which already are important windows into a human being's character, would be an important feature on a robot to make it seem more human. We often judge a person by their eyes--ie, do they look trustworthy, does their smile reach their eyes. Perhaps it's the same with robots.
Interesting concept, Chuck, I did not know about the "uncanny valley." Makes perfect sense, but I suppose as you say we have to just get used to the idea. Humor seems a good way to bridge the gap, for sure. And if Baxter is as well designed as Ann says, perhaps "he," too, bridges the valley. I guess we will just have to see. But it still may be awhile before it's like C3PO or R2D2 in Star Wars and robots are seen as our friends and trusted companions! Just to get people in an industrial setting to work comfortably alongside Baxter and others like "him" would be a good start.
That's funny, Ann, I was tempted to call Baxter a "he" straightaway! Good to know he lives up to his design promise. Is he as intuitive as he is suposed to be? I really would be so curious to meet him (yes, it is a bit weird to be thinking this about a robot) since he was so hyped!
Gigabit and PoE are two networking technologies moving ahead in tandem as industrial users power remote Ethernet devices such as IP security cameras at 1,000 Mbps over existing CAT5 cable.
New disc magnet motors fit into the design trend of stepping up to closed loop performance while maintaining the cost advantage of stepper motor technology.
At the Design News webinar on June 27, learn all about aluminum extrusion: designing the right shape so it costs the least, is simplest to manufacture, and best fits the application's structural requirements.
A new battery design, which replaces lithium with abundant and low-cost elemental sulfur, is still in its nascent stages but shows real promise for giving batteries more energy potential.
From Dell / Intel® New Paradigms in Design Work Scott Hamilton, vertical market strategist for Dell Precision workstations, 5/2/2013 5
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I've been using workstations for more than 10 years and love finding ways to get more performance from my system. With demanding professional applications that require more power each ...
A lasting memory from my first job as an engineer in an auto assembly plant is standing on hard concrete at six in the morning, vending-machine coffee clutched in hand, listening to ...
For industrial control applications, or even a simple assembly line, that machine can go almost 24/7 without a break. But what happens when the task is a little more complex? That’s where the “smart” machine would come in. The smart machine is one that has some simple (or complex in some cases) processing capability to be able to adapt to changing conditions. Such machines are suited for a host of applications, including automotive, aerospace, defense, medical, computers and electronics, telecommunications, consumer goods, and so on. This radio show will show what’s possible with smart machines, and what tradeoffs need to be made to implement such a solution.
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