Robots Make the Coins Go 'Round, Down Under 126
inkslinger77 writes "Computerworld has a cool slideshow of a Kuka Titan robot and a bunch of AGVs managing the circulation of coins at the Australian Mint. There's also a lengthier article where the head of the project talks about the main reason robots were employed. One of the reasons being that they radically reduce OH&S risk: 'We are finding that the AGVs are much safer and more reliable. Robots are never affected by having a bad night with the baby and falling asleep at the wheel. They are extremely accurate and they always do the same task in the same way.'"
Hrmm (Score:5, Funny)
The Australian mint... where you can buy a $1 coin for $2 from a vending machine.
Re:Hrmm (Score:4, Funny)
...I wonder what I did with that nickel, anyway? That was like 7 years ago...
Re:Hrmm (Score:4, Informative)
They're still surprisingly popular [wikipedia.org], although they're usually in tourist spots and require two coins to be placed in: the penny/nickel to squish, and a token fee for operation. Utter ripoff, but nice memorabilia.
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Actually, those things are about the most harmless tourist sucker-inner around. Think about it; most video games cost fifty cents or more, you play the game, and most of the time you forget the experience more or less entirely (save for a little sharpening of some probably-useless button smashing reflexes.) Most of those penny smashers seem to cost fifty cents to run (pennies are free, at least in small quantity) and produce one of the few pieces of tourist kitsch you won't break within the first two weeks.
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To be fair, it is a great way to make money!
Ok ok, I'll shutup now :)
Re:Hrmm (Score:5, Interesting)
Worse is buying a $5 dollar silver coin for 35 reserve bank $1 coins where 5 years ago it cost 8 reserve bank $1 coins...
Our money is becoming worthless.
Re:Hrmm (Score:5, Insightful)
BUT inflation aka printing money is a way for the Printer to tax the users of that currency.
It's all part of the plan.
You see the great thing for the USA is the rest of the world uses US dollars to buy and sell stuff like oil, and zillions of other commodities and products. Even amongst themselves. Because of that very many countries end up holding billions or even trillions of US dollars.
So when the US Federal Reserve lends[1] its friends X trillion US dollars ( and they only need to pay back 'later' when convenient), it's actually a way of taxing everyone else.
Now the US citizens should be happy if they get their share of the printed money as well, but if they don't they really should do something about it.
In contrast when Mugabe in Zimbabwe prints money, only the people using Zimbabwe currency are hurt. Which means the rest of the world is mostly unaffected.
[1] Or allegedly "lose track" of it :).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXlxBeAvsB8 [youtube.com]
http://www.graysonforcongress.com/newsitem.asp?NewsId=90 [graysonforcongress.com]
http://www.graysonforcongress.com/newsitem.asp?NewsId=91 [graysonforcongress.com]
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In other words, the rest of the world has an exist strategy, and the people who you claim should be exstatic don't.
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Nothing requires US citizens to use federal reserve notes.
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-from the Wampum is Totally Awesome handbook
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Actually once when I was really bored I read one of the tax manuals.
It included paying taxes on SERVICES that are rendered to you freely that would normally cost money. Don't think just using another currency is going to get you out of paying taxes.
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Well, most people aren't Willie Nelson, but part of the negotiations of his back taxes were paid by the proceeds of a record album. You might say that's US dollars at work, but since the proceeds went directly to the IRS, I would say it was more of a barter arrangement.
Wikipedia's entry [wikipedia.org] A better description [taxfables.com]
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I've heard rumors that the real reason for the Iraq invasion was that the Iraqi were planning to start selling oil for Euros. Don't know of any validity to this, but I also don't have any reason to disbelieve it. Have you heard of *ANY* other plausible reason?
So there might be a bit of danger involved in trading commodities in a different currency. (And this could also be totally off the wall. But would you bet your country on it?)
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Well it's no longer rated funny :).
Maybe it's because most US people don't know that Iraq was considered an ally (or at least a useful tool) of the USA before Iraq invaded Kuwait.
The USA was amongst the many countries supplying Iraq in the Iran-Iraq war.
http://www.unobserver.com/index.php?pagina=layout5.php&id=815&blz=1 [unobserver.com]
After the Iran-Iraq war was over, Saddam even spoke to the US ambassador and complained about Kuwait.
And the US ambassador (April Glaspie) said: "I think I understand this. I have li
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Frankly, I don't understand macroeconomics well enough to comment intelligently on the likelihood of the conspiracy theory you're proposing. But the economy seems bloody complicated to me, and I can't rule out the possibility that the Federal Reserve is just trying to avoid a deflationary spiral [wikipedia.org]. Deflation seems more dangerous than inflation as far as I can tell.
Inflation doesn't really see
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Wages do not really account for inflation or increases in minimum wage.
Consider the number of people who had to have raises just so they would be paid minimum wage, or those who had started out at minimum wage, worked multiple years, and now are back to working minimum wage instead of receiving an increase in salary based on the increase in minimum wage (the total of their past raises, etc.) (this part of it is more of the employers fault, but it shouldn't happen).
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>> So when the US Federal Reserve lends[1] its friends X trillion US dollars ( and they only need to pay back 'later' when convenient), it's actually a way of taxing everyone else.
This is 180 degrees away from the correct situation. With benefit of doubt, a presume a typo.
The US benefits when it borrows money, and then returns diminished-value money.
Our solution is to hold precious metals rather than just a FPOP.
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Sure.
But the US Gov and banks can and do borrow from the US Federal Reserve. This can cause inflation (and thus the "taxation effect" I was talking about).
The US people can still experience a net benefit if the US Gov pumps enough of that money to them (directly or to projects that benefit the people).
But they should be careful if certain things happen like: the US borrows money from China etc, then lends a lot of money to an undisclosed bunch.
That benefits that undisclosed bunch. Are that undisclosed bunch
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No, precious metals are simply becoming more valuable. There's a big difference.
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Not exactly just a vending machine. It's a fairly minimalist minting machine, where you see a blank turned into a $1 coin, which you get.
Consistency (Score:2)
They are extremely accurate and they always do the same task in the same way.'"
"...just like computer programs."
*grin*
Why yes! I will indeed be here all week.
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They are extremely accurate and they always do the same task in the same way.'"
"...just like computer programs."
No, computer programs always don't do the same task in the same way.
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Much more efficient than the old way (Score:4, Funny)
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Big enough for a family of 4 to be raised in. Getting the 50" plasma TV in was a struggle though.
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Kangaroo pouches are only so big.
Kangaroo purses, on the other hand, are huge.
Smaller coins (Score:2)
Would be easier for the mint and the rest of us to handle.
I don't believe a word of it... (Score:2, Interesting)
Robots also can't tell their neighbors about how much more money the government is printing.
Re:I don't believe a word of it... (Score:4, Interesting)
Given that (according to Bernanke) "printing" new money now consists of literally adding zeros to a banks balance digitally workers at the mint aren't going to notice anything until months or years later anyway.
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Oh you're absolutely right. I was being somewhat tongue-in-cheek. But obviously there is some ulterior motive for automating this workforce to such an extent. Hauling around money isn't particularly difficult, dangerous or precision work.
But it is frightening to think about how much financial engineering has gone on in recent years. Printing money is literally no longer necessary in order to inflate the currency. Credit limits can be increased electronically. Paychecks are direct-deposited. It's just
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Oh you're absolutely right. I was being somewhat tongue-in-cheek. But obviously there is some ulterior motive for automating this workforce to such an extent.
No, they're simply trying to be more efficient. You know, like all the other tens of thousands of companies that have automated themselves.
Hauling around money isn't particularly difficult, dangerous or precision work.
They're hauling coins around. Drums of them. You know coins, those thing made out of metal. That heavy dense stuff that does bad things if it accidentally falls on your foot, right? Like the summary says it's boring repetitive work and humans aren't really made for that. Machines are.
I wonder if you're the same type of person who complains about government inefficiency a
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I mean, you do know that it's all been little figures stored somewhere for well over a century if not longer, right?
Clearly my history classes were deficient. They didn't teach me about the use of credit cards during the great depression. Thanks for bringing me up to speed, smart-ass.
I wonder if you're the same type of person who complains about government inefficiency and waste of money.
You're right, I'm sure there's no chance of any kind of mis-allocation of capital when the government agency that prints money is completely fucking automated in the middle of a recession.
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Completely automated? You think those robots repair themselves?
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Clearly my history classes were deficient. They didn't teach me about the use of credit cards during the great depression. Thanks for bringing me up to speed, smart-ass.
Credit cards are simply a type of loan if a balance is kept on them, not sure why you find that so hard to understand. Loans have existed for a long time.
You're right, I'm sure there's no chance of any kind of mis-allocation of capital when the government agency that prints money is completely fucking automated in the middle of a recession.
Nothing is completely automated. Someone looks over the daily tallies, someone receives the shipment of money and so on. Since everything is now actually tracked it's probably harder to change how much money is made without anyone who can do something about it noticing.
As someone else mentioned, some assembly line worker would know jack shit about how muc
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Automation is just a fact of life in the modern world, I'll accept your point.
What I don't understand is why they used such a horrible example to justify it. Any critical thinker will immediately realize that while it does suck to be hauling around large drums of heavy coins after being kept up by a crying infant, it sucks far more to not have a job hauling around large drums of heavy coins when needing to provide an income to support your crying infant.
Seems to me that the person pitching the plan didn't
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Whoa. Handling money is seriously expensive for exactly those reasons. If we could get rid of physical money (without the side-effects) that would be a huge boost to the economy. The mint is of course only a tiny part of that but still big money...
The problem isn't government money printing (Score:2)
The problem is the subsequent bank money multiplication.
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Good morning (Score:3, Insightful)
Oh really? So, so...if the rest of the world could only take this brand new revolutionary idea from the Australian mint and apply these "robots" to all kinds of industrial tasks.... oh, wait they already do since about 50 years ago [wikipedia.org]
Re:Good morning (Score:4, Insightful)
You know the modern web browser was invented 16 years ago - should we link to mosaic every time a story on FF/IE/Chrome/Safari/Opera comes up?
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Hell, I read the article just because I thought Kuka Titan was an awesome name for a robot.
Re:Good morning (Score:4, Insightful)
I laughed at those words for a different reason: it's the kind of nonsense you get from people who have never dealt with robotics before.
Although accurate, the indicated behaviour of robots is hardly a virtue. If a human kept doing the same task in the same way, regardless of the consequences, we'd call them stupid, and that's exactly what robots are.
I think von Braun said it best: Using robots is a lot like having a wife. She helps you solve the problems you wouldn't have had if you hadn't gotten married.
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If they kept flipping the burger even though the meat had gone rotten, you'd fire them.
Port of Hamburg (Score:4, Interesting)
You think that's interesting check out the port of Hamburg, shipping containers being zipped around on robotic trucks/lifts/etc.
Terminal Automation [hamburgportconsulting.de]
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"Terminal Automation" sounds more like you put robots in a retirement home...
I smell a sitcom idea in there. We already have a title.
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I remember on The Wire when they're showing Frank Sobotka and some shipping execs how Amsterdam runs their dock with robots, and Sobotka's just looking at it in abject horror, at the thought of not having all of his buddies in the union to work the docks any more.
Such a weird feeling, to see yourself being replaced. It will constantly move up the employment chain, too.
MySQL password? (Score:5, Funny)
I wonder if the Australian Federal Police (AFP) setup security for the mint?
Might try a blank root password and see about getting that robot to do a home delivery.
Robots! (Score:1, Funny)
They're taking our jobs!
Is it just me... (Score:2, Funny)
Down under (Score:1)
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Always thought my landlord was dodgy.
Seriously though, I'd like to propose the following; since the Earth/Solar System is in the Milky Way, and the Milky Way can be seen from the Southern Hemisphere and not the northern, then by inference the Southern Hemisphere is closer to the core of the Milky Way (while you lot stare out into space). Therefore, we are fa
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Really. The Coriolis force is overwhelmed by tiny asymmetries in the sink and plumbing. Different sinks will drain differently even in the same city because they're made by different companies.
Go ahead and believe that if it makes you feel better as you cling to a tree lest you fall into the s
More or less error coins? (Score:1)
It would be interesting to find out.
That slide show reminds me of the Newegg tour posted here some time ago.
Personal Cash (Score:1)
In a future world where everything is electronic it's a nice touch to have something tangible once in a while.
Stupid RAM (Score:1)
If they'd make the coins a reasonable size there wouldn't be all these OH&S problems.
Obligatory (Score:2)
Probably a very easy job.
http://despair.com/motivation.html [despair.com]
Advanced Design! (Score:2)
That robot in picture 8 is seriously advanced. It seems to be a generic task model too.
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Okay.. now follow that thought (Score:2)
When most of the jobs are held by robots because they are cheaper....
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That's one of the two possible outcomes! :)
...but which direction? (Score:1)
SCV (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Why don't they hire men? (Score:5, Insightful)
Robots are never affected by having a bad night with the baby and falling asleep at the wheel.
I'm not trying to be misogynist here, but should women with very small kids be working? Isn't this exactly the type of thing we should expect the government to try to protect through programs designed to give women time off that they need after having a baby?
Its not just women who look after the baby you know.
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Across most of the people that I know that have had babies the woman still does 90% of the heavy lifting once the baby is born.
Despite what the cool inner city chattering classes like to believe traditional roles are still absolutely dominant in western society and really have hardly budged in the last 50 years except where financial necessity requires it. It's a tiny, tiny fraction of people (generally from the same cool inner city chattering class) that have bought into the strange ideology of suppressi
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It's a tiny, tiny fraction of people (generally from the same cool inner city chattering class) that have bought into the strange ideology of suppressing and heaping scorn on a womans natural motherly instinct.
What the fuck? Who, exactly, is "heaping scorn on a woman's natural motherly instincts"?
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Is that a genuine question??
Because if you've spent anytime on the Internet and haven't come across someone ranting against women who want to stay at home to raise their kids as being "pathetic" you're either living in a dreamworld or are one of those people.
I even dated a cool inner city girl who "couldn't stand mums and thier worthless contribution to society".
For women it's mostly borne out of a deep seated jealousy and inferiority, for men I don't know, trying to get into those womens pants by making th
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Re:Why don't they hire men? (Score:4, Insightful)
You don't lose your whole life, that's the militant feminist rant talking. Your life changes, that's all.
Then again, it changes every time there's a major event. Marriage, new job, car crash, theft, death of family member. I've heard a few women complain about losing their life to marriage. While I agree that you lose your former life, that doesn't mean you don't get a new one in return. People complain about losing their life to ailing family members. People complain a lot (human condition).
Death is the only item where you really lose your life. The rest is what you make out of it. For everyone that weeps a tear for the days of lesser responsibility, there's a person who would never go back to how it was. If you don't want to have a child, that's fine. If you want to not be bothered by someone else, then don't have a child, husband, family, etc. I'm not being facetious, not everyone is cut out to live like everyone else.
Likening a child to a cancer is just silly, unless I can call you, your parents, your bothers, and sisters cancers. In that case, you've mis-defined cancer; we all call that life.
The irony is that children are the only future which really will keep you in mind after you are gone. Eventually that won't last, but if you want a longer future than the one you will experience, you need to put your stamp on things that will outlast you.
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Because if you've spent anytime on the Internet and haven't come across someone ranting against women who want to stay at home to raise their kids as being "pathetic" you're either living in a dreamworld or are one of those people.
I've been on the internet since around 1990, and I've never heard such things. Perhaps you travel in bad circles? In any case, basing your general assessment of humans on random internet posters is a bad idea.
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Like another poster, I've been a very active internet user for more than ten years and I've never seen that rant. And yes, a substantial amount of that internet use was usenet so I've seen a lot of rants...
I guess that means I'm "living in a dreamworld" or "one of those people" then. Shrug.
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Wow. I work with kids on a regular basis and either you're a troll or you've never had experience with kids.
A good parent interacts with his or her young child ALL DAY, EVERY DAY. It's more than a full time job if you're doing it right. Childrens' minds need constant interaction for their minds to develop properly. It's how they learn to interact with other human beings and otherwise function in society. As children get older, their friends and classmates start to take some of the load off the parents,
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Good. My wife is a teacher, and she can easily tell which children have a parent at home caring for the kids during the day. And, yes, it's usually the mother. Those kids are much more intelligent, much more civilized, and do much better at hearing instruction.
N.B.: Not all mothers, and relatively few fathers, are naturally adept at dealing with kids. It's something that one develops through practice. If you have any much younger siblings, you may already have a head start.
The first five years are the
Re:Why don't they hire men? (Score:5, Informative)
Because some men tend to take "a lot" of coffee breaks in their cars, each time taking a shoe full of $1 and $2 coins with them....
http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=107801 [ninemsn.com.au]
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A robot solder won't be prone to anger, fear and revenge when his robot buddy is killed.
And a robot postal worker won't be likely to go "postal" because he has a soul-numbing job.
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Well, you failed, but not because of your comments about work. You seem to be suggesting that when a baby wakes up in the middle of the night, it is beyond comprehension for the baby's father to get up and take care of it.
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It really doesn't make much difference. If the baby is crying at night (esp. if it sleeps in your room) they your night isn't going to be so great. Trust me! (father of an adorable but sleep-depriving 6 month old baby girl).
Even without the disrupted nights a baby is going to make you tired since there's no downtime. If mom is feeding and looking after the baby, then guess who's shopping, cooking, washing up and then looking after the baby while mom has a shower, does the laundry, etc, etc?!
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EXACTLY. My son is only 10 days old and I'm already getting a little loopy from sleep deprivation.
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Wait... what? Do you mean to say that you never got up at 3 AM t
Re:Why don't they hire men? (Score:5, Informative)
The quote is out of context, the article was referring to the safety of robots versus human driven forklifts,
the gender of the forklift driver is not an issue.
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Ahhh... I thought it was about the gender of the forklift. Now it all makes sense. Thanks for clearing that up!
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Re:Why don't they hire men? (Score:4, Insightful)
That doesn't mean you aren't succeeding.
Do you really think that women are the only people kept up at night by babies?
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Unfortunately, it's not paid leave, unless your company is uncommonly generous. And because it is unpaid leave, most families cannot afford to take full advantage of it. All it really does is guarantee that you can take the time off and still have a job when you return.
Believe it or not, even this pittance conc
From TFA: (Score:2)
Occupational health and safety.
Overall, the project has been very successful in meeting the objectives: reducing occupational health and safety (OH&S) issues, increasing security and increasing productivity.
Apparently, writers do know they should do that. It is once again the Slashdot editors who are illiterate. Or just plain lazy.
Hey... maybe we should have them replaced with robots?
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I think its safe to assume if you've had a job at some point in your life you have run acronym.