"Software will predict robot behavior before they are built"
http://www.rdmag.com/News/2011/11/Information-Technology-Robotics-Accelerating-Robotic-Innovation/?et_cid=2314391&et_rid=54725820&linkid=http%3a%2f%2fwww.rdmag.com%2fNews%2f2011%2f11%2fInformation-Technology-Robotics-Accelerating-Robotic-Innovation%2f
Good luck with all that! Have these people ever tried to get a BoeBot to drive straight down a hallway? Or to get a troupe of Toddlers dancing the Hokey Pokey? When's the last time you built a robot whose initial behavior even mildly matched your intent? Robotics is about mechanics: backlash, deadband, wheel slip, motor variations, error, rugs, dust, friction, obstacles, irregularities, and general unanticipated randomness. I have to chuckle at the idea of Robotic "simulations". The real world introduces so many new variables that I can't believe that anyone seriously thinks that a simulation can represent or replace any real testing.
Sure prototyping and testing is expensive, but it's money well spent. These ivory tower clean room types can do all the simulations they want, but they will still get ugly surprises when they initially test their "virtually optimized" super bot in the real world. But it's unlikely we'll ever hear that follow-up story!
Good luck with all that! Have these people ever tried to get a BoeBot to drive straight down a hallway? Or to get a troupe of Toddlers dancing the Hokey Pokey? When's the last time you built a robot whose initial behavior even mildly matched your intent? Robotics is about mechanics: backlash, deadband, wheel slip, motor variations, error, rugs, dust, friction, obstacles, irregularities, and general unanticipated randomness. I have to chuckle at the idea of Robotic "simulations". The real world introduces so many new variables that I can't believe that anyone seriously thinks that a simulation can represent or replace any real testing.
Sure prototyping and testing is expensive, but it's money well spent. These ivory tower clean room types can do all the simulations they want, but they will still get ugly surprises when they initially test their "virtually optimized" super bot in the real world. But it's unlikely we'll ever hear that follow-up story!
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