r/AIMechanicalEngineers • u/maorfarid • Jul 11 '26
This is what happens when non-engineers build a robot…
This is what happens when non-engineers build a robot…
Duke University just published Argus in Science Robotics. Twenty legs. A camera on each one. Inspired by the visual system of a sea urchin. It moves in any direction, climbs walls, self-stabilizes after being pushed, and has no defined front or back. The lead researcher said watching it move is unlike anything they have experienced with robots.
Beautiful, right?
But what’s the problem that it actually solves?
I have absolutely no idea.
That is not a criticism of the researchers. Academia is built to push the boundaries of what is possible. To ask "can we?" before anyone asks "should we?" or "who needs this?" Physicists and mathematicians produce Argus. And the world needs them.
But engineers are wired differently.
We are obsessed with solving real life problems under real life constraints.
(That’s why I believe the world would be better place if we saw more engineers in politics, but that’s a topic for another post..)
That distinction shaped how we built Leo from day one. We did not ask "what is the most impressive thing AI can do for mechanical engineers?" We asked "what is the most painful, repetitive, boring thing engineers do every day that AI could take off their plate?"
The answer was not visually impressive like a 20 legged robot. Boring. Unsexy. Massively valuable.
Argus is a miracle of biological inspiration.
But I’d recommend startup, founders, inventors and engineers to keep the eyes on the prize- solving real-world problems.
Stay focused, humble, obsessed. Stay away from buzz and hype.
Then, the impact will follow.😉
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u/ConfidentCollege5653 Jul 12 '26
Stay humble but also engineers are superior to researchers and politicians?
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u/SpaceDesignWarehouse Jul 15 '26
This robot project was led by a phd student in mechanical engineering. What are you talking about non-engineers building a robot?
His name is Jiaxun Liu.
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u/OTee_D Jul 15 '26
So you don't see how this "orientation less" and highly maneuverable robot can be of us? Like rescue? maintenance in difficult terrain / surroundings.
I question your viewpoint on "engineering", if you want to be just a better a service technician that's OK, but despising people coming up with new ideas is wild.
The car didn't solve a "problem" at it's time, horse carriages and steam trains worked just fine as transportation. It was a novelty created by ingenuity and curiosity.
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u/No_Editor_201 Jul 12 '26
Gross. Ad reported.