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Read the first paragraph of "Tescopolis" [link] first.
It appears that grocery store employees are no longer
paid well enough to stack products into various
interesting shapes.
I propose that a robot take on this role. I envision a robot
that drives around on the ceiling, as has
recently
been discussed in this establishment, held up by
vacuum or by magnets, with a winch and long
cord hanging down, tipped with a gripper or suction
head. The employees just need to bring out a
pallet of a given product from the back room, and the
robot will stack said product in an artistic way
near the entrance of the store. It lifts up one item at a
time and then places it on the arrangement. To
mitigate swinging, either it can raise the item all the
way up to its body, carry it at that level, and
then lower it straight down, or it can actively control the
suspended load like a helicopter moving
Christmas trees [link].
When it isn't busy enough for making big arrangements
near the entrance, it can roam around the
store, putting misplaced products back where they
belong and stacking other products in interesting
ways on their shelves.
N/A [2019-06-30]
Tescopolis
by [xenzag]. The first paragraph there inspired this idea [notexactly, Jul 01 2019]
Active suspended load control by human helicopter pilot moving Christmas trees
https://www.youtube...watch?v=08K_aEajzNA One of many videos showing this activity. The robot could use a similar technique [notexactly, Jul 01 2019]
This...
https://www.youtube...watch?v=6RKXVefE98w ..is what you are looking for: a pick-&-place robot. The best ones move SCARY fast. [neutrinos_shadow, Jul 01 2019]
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Annotation:
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Category Culture: Art: Automated ? |
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// This is what you are looking for // |
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No. Too fast and scary to put in a store. I did think of a gantry
crane, though not a delta robot, but discarded it due to cost and
practicality reasons. A delta wouldn't be able to move items from
the door to the back room to near the front entrance on its own,
too. Also, I want something customers are only 20% likely to
notice, and that they'll think is amusing if they do. |
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// Category Culture: Art: Automated ? // |
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Good point. I just left it in the category of the inspiring idea
because it was already chosen when I clicked "add", thinking it
was good enough for now, better than Other: General at least. I'll
move it now. |
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//..door... to back room...//
So mount it on an overhead rail system. I can't find a good
link, but automation like you want is a well-advanced field.
As for customers, I think they WILL notice a robot stacking
products and want to watch closer, so it's working area will
need to be roped off. |
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How about just on a track? Much more energy
efficient. |
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// Too fast and scary to put in a store. // |
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<Obligatory Jedi mind-trick hand gesture/> |
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"These aren't the droids you're looking for". |
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// So mount it on an overhead rail system. // |
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Then it could only stack things directly under the rail, unless it
was a delta robot or robot arm or something hanging from the
rail. A robot capable of driving freely on the ceiling can stack
things anywhere, producing 3D arrangements instead of just
walls, with only a vertical cord on a winch. |
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// As for customers, I think they WILL notice a robot stacking
products and want to watch closer // |
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It will be pretty slow, so most of them will watch for a few
seconds and go back to their shopping, and check on it again in
30 seconds or so. Some will watch closely, sure. |
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// so it's working area will need to be roped off. // |
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No, because it's slow and soft. |
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//..directly under the rail...//
I meant hang a full pick-n-place from a rail. Locked in place
on the ceiling to do it's work, free to move to other places
when needed.
//pretty slow... ..soft//
So, you want a person, not a robot... otherwise, what's the
point here? Robots are used where they are BETTER than
people, not worse. |
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Robots are also used where they're cheaper and more willing
than people. |
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On the one hand, yes.
But on the other, the system you're wanting would NOT be
cheap... I think the programming would be the most
complicated/expensive part. |
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Sure, but once that's done, it can be sold (or more likely the
service it provides can be sold) to stores pretty
inexpensively. |
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