The Franka Emika is a robot manipulator capable of sensing its surroundings, including people. It is equipped with a force-sensing control scheme designed by Sami Haddadin.
(Handy Franka Emika Robot - too friendly with humans?)
The user can position apps on the Franka’s desk (computer interface) and perform complex tasks within minutes. Once the solution is complete, the procedure can be saved to the cloud and shared with other Franka robots. In theory, one could have an entire production line of Frankas programmed in less than an hour.
This collaborative-robot or ‘cobot’ is highly dexterous with seven degrees of freedom and a 0,1-millimeter accuracy. The arm can reach 80 cm and can lift a 3 kg payload.
The assembly line of the Frankas included work done by Frankas, so essentially they were cloning themselves....
A slightly creepy self-replicating robot - maybe the first description of this idea in science fiction (or anywhere) - is the robot mother from The Mechanical Mice, a 1941 story by Eric Frank Russel writing as Maurice Hugi.
More recently, readers may recall the autofac from Philip K. Dick's 1955 eponymous story.
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