On Meraki
Meraki is probably the leader in the field of self healing mesh wireless internet systems. Unfortunately, all of its kit requires an internet gateway to function. What if I just want internal bandwidth in a given geographic area?
Idea: Robo-CASEVAC
The Army is looking for robotic casualty evacuation system. ( A10a-T028 ). They want a robot that can recognize and adapt to a way a human is positioned after an injury. That’s going to be really tough if you want to solve the problem with software (the way the writeup is focused).
The solution is a swarm (much better able to adapt to the battlefield and injury in question). Think a group that individually specializes in/ targets various parts of a body:
This swarm shows up. Each node finds a way to lift/carry it’s target as is. If the angle is out of the threshold (in the case of a broken limb), fires that information home and reacts. Or the target is missing (severed), it assists another node to accelerate the workflow.
Three versions – one that flies, another that drives, and another that swims.
Plus, the software can streamline the process. By knowing the soldier’s weight/height/blood type, the correct number of drones can be dispatched. Drones can also fire information back, initiating a chart before the casualty shows up: blood pressure, temperature, blood type, name etc.
Comments
I’ve been replying to recent comments, it just didn’t show up on the right side. Fixed now.
Atoms vs Bits
Joel Johnson of Gizmodo doesn’t think Chris Anderson is onto anything. To that end he points out how Anderson needs China which needs the traditional factory model to achieve the scale that is competitive with traditional manufacturing practices.
Anderson doesn’t really delve into that because it’s irrelevant to him (and me). He’s treating China as just another machine that can be made obsolete by new machinery – a network of 3D printers for example.
So Johnson’s kinda right. We aren’t there yet, but I’m not sure that’s what Anderson was saying.