Intel will monitor its factories with Boston Robotics robot dogs

Intel has several problems: reconnecting with competitiveness in the design of fleas of course. But also and above all resume technological leadership to engrave the fleas and transform its network of factories into a tool that earns money. And to help him in his task, the semiconductor giant took advantage of his Intel Foundry Direct Connect Connect conference in San José to present his partnerships. From cooperation to developers of flea development tools, to a well -known name for American robotics: Boston Dynamics.

No news here, since the robot chosen by Intel is Spot, that the chip giant renamed the animal chip. A quadruped with a sympathetic and man well known as in the field. Not advanced humanoid material as we see flowery in China, but a simple “dog” that has been adapted to be able to “sniff” Intel factories …

A fab is big!

In a video clip broadcast on stage, Intel has demonstrated the capabilities of chip. These are based on the sensors that have been integrated to it: high definition cameras to read and analyze the valves for example. As well as thermal cameras to detect anomalies on industrial equipment.

With the intervention scenarios, the robot which detects a leak and which gives the alert to a technician who watches him from the control room. The technician who then takes her tools to go and control on site, highlighting the interest of this metal dog: skimming an industrial site as large as several football stages.

If we make Fabs a very high-tech image with connected boxes everywhere, this essentially concerns the floors where men evolve or that where lithogravure takes place. In fact, a FAB is an industrial site on several floors and with a high chemical dimension. Silicon (or Wafers) silicon pancakes pass several times in chemical solutions. Chemistry whose heart is placed on the lower floor. And where physical constraints limit the integration of communicating tools.

Not in white rooms

If neither Intel nor Boston Dynamics gave precision the places of intervention of Chip, it is a safe bet that he does not yet evolve in the white rooms where the chips are produced, but in the lower floors.
The first clue was given by the video example video in which we saw the technician intervening with valves and pipes, without white combination. The second clue is that the chip was not presented as “qualified” to enter the white rooms.

Now, everything that fits into these temples of cleanliness, where particle hunting is total, must be qualified for. In addition to the fact that all humans enter it protected from head to course, everything that comes in must be qualified. Even the ships and pens allowed to get into white rooms are special models, guaranteed not to produce dust during the writing act.

Human just behind

If there was a little bitter side in the fact of seeing robots garnished with silicon chips do detection in factories producing their own silicon chips, the intervention had a refreshing side.
The company has chosen a known, sympathetic, non -humanoid robot, which unloads the human from a tedious task. And above all who puts humans at the heart of the scenario presented.

Perhaps one day, it will be robots garnished with overpowered AI that will conceive the most advanced fleas of men. For the time being, they will be content to monitor our factories.

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