## Metadata - Real Title:: [PSA for Anyone Who Might...](https://twitter.com/SarahTaber_bww/status/1449775688895062018) - Author:: [[Sarah Taber]] - Via:: - Publication-Date:: - ReadwiseID:: 11460150 - Last Highlighted:: 2021-10-18 - Imported: 2022-06-02 from twitter ## Highlights ### id239402928 > PSA for anyone who might be dealing with robot gun dogs, from a farm robot specialist who wasn't really looking at robot wrangling from the public safety standpoint but here we are. https://t.co/PhQSmEnzOn - [View Tweet](https://twitter.com/SarahTaber_bww/status/1449775688895062018) ### id239402929 > I haven't worked w police/military robotics so I can't speak to exactly how these are built. > But I can tell you, IME roboticists can be really naive about environmental conditions: making robots sturdy enough to handle rain, dirt, & other outdoor realities. - [View Tweet](https://twitter.com/SarahTaber_bww/status/1449775690648272903) ### id239402930 > For example! I've worked w a couple startups that do fruit picking robots. They build the thing, *then* call me in to figure out how to clean it. > And half the time you can't. Bc the picking arm has all these delicate cameras & servos that can't get wet. - [View Tweet](https://twitter.com/SarahTaber_bww/status/1449775691831070734) ### id239402931 > Folks who build robots at this time tend to be focused on making it do cool things like see, jump, run, & somersault. So they can release teaser videos that make everybody go "wow what a fancy robot" > They tend to be less focused on actual service performance: DURABILITY. - [View Tweet](https://twitter.com/SarahTaber_bww/status/1449775693076832258) ### id239402932 > What's this mean? > The joints, motors, cameras, & other sensors are more exposed than they should be. > It's easy for water, road salt, grit, etc to get in there and cripple the robot. - [View Tweet](https://twitter.com/SarahTaber_bww/status/1449775694280593412) ### id239402933 > I mean look at this thing. That housing's got more nooks & crannies than a dang English muffin. You think that's watertight? > https://t.co/soYXMVwzOd - [View Tweet](https://twitter.com/SarahTaber_bww/status/1449775696222593029) ### id239402934 > For robots that work outside, not even watertight is good enough. > Farms add surfactants (like dish soap) to sprays. They make the sprays stick to leaves & get into all the nooks & crannies of the plant. > So farm robots need surfactant-proof seals. Not just waterproof. - [View Tweet](https://twitter.com/SarahTaber_bww/status/1449775697820594184) ### id239402935 > Otherwise after a few hours in the field, you have a mix of dew, mud, soil & grit, and whatever surfactants you put in your last pesticide > mixing together & working their way into all the robot's delicate parts. Scratching up the cameras. Jamming up the joints & motor. - [View Tweet](https://twitter.com/SarahTaber_bww/status/1449775698936205315) ### id239402936 > If there's any salt or acid in the mix, it's even worse! > Some soils have a lil salt in them, or an acidic pH. It's actually pretty common! > The salts or H+ ions work their way into the machine & corrode the shit out of EVERYTHING. > Bye-bye expensive farm robot! - [View Tweet](https://twitter.com/SarahTaber_bww/status/1449775700546883591) ### id239402937 > Now let's apply this to street settings. > Water. Dirt & grit. Road salt. > Just a little salt destroys metal! Even faster if it's mixed with water, acids, surfactants, &/or grit. - [View Tweet](https://twitter.com/SarahTaber_bww/status/1449775701750599680) ### id239402938 > And again, dirt & grit destroy joints. > They scratch up camera lenses & otherwise interfere with sensors. > They also scratch up any corrosion-proof coatings the engineers may have put on there, & expose the metals to water, salt, & acid. - [View Tweet](https://twitter.com/SarahTaber_bww/status/1449775702925103105) ### id239402939 > These robots look super-vulnerable to normal wear & tear. > They look even more vulnerable to a super-soaker filled with common household items like salt, vinegar, & just a lil dish soap. Maybe with a lil diatomaceous earth to bump up the scrubbing power. - [View Tweet](https://twitter.com/SarahTaber_bww/status/1449775704174891015) ### id239402940 > If they don't go belly-up from short circuits immediately, they're still looking at either an expensive tear-town, clean, & rebuild (takes the robot off the street for a few days) > or it'll go belly-up within a week or two. > Both options are REALLY expensive & frustrating for own - [View Tweet](https://twitter.com/SarahTaber_bww/status/1449775705722609669) ### id239402941 > Especially if they get hit with water/salt/acid/grit/soaps ASAP the moment they hit the street again. > Then the robots wind up spending more time in the shop on life support than actually doing their job. - [View Tweet](https://twitter.com/SarahTaber_bww/status/1449775706708316168) ### id239402942 > That's actually a pretty common outcome for automation! > Everyone gets excited about this fancy new machine that's going to replace people. Then in real life it turns out to be broken all the time, can't do shit, it's a giant money pit, & eventually the sponsors give up. - [View Tweet](https://twitter.com/SarahTaber_bww/status/1449775707832430599) ### id239402943 > idk just some thoughts on outdoor automation from someone who buries the corpses of failed robots for a living - [View Tweet](https://twitter.com/SarahTaber_bww/status/1449775709124239362) ### id239402944 > it's just really funny to me that these are supposed to be scary but probably can't stand up to a water balloon full of pickle juice - [View Tweet](https://twitter.com/SarahTaber_bww/status/1449777512842731523) ### id239402945 > uh... if you like "agricultural technology & the public good" you will love my book, for which there is a fundraiser with just a few days left & it's really close to the goal already 🍻 > https://t.co/2H6saI5W9q - [View Tweet](https://twitter.com/SarahTaber_bww/status/1449781507103629316)