Half a croissant, on a plate, with a sign in front of it saying '50c'
h a l f b a k e r y
This ain't rocket surgery.

idea: add, search, annotate, link, view, overview, recent, by name, random

meta: news, help, about, links, report a problem

account: browse anonymously, or get an account and write.

user:
pass:
register,


 

self-organizing-cabinet

The Self-Organizing Cabinet
  (+4)
(+4)
  [vote for,
against]

Imagine yourself in front of the Self-Organizing Cabinet. Open up the front door. Inside is a ten by ten array of what seem to be handleless drawers, and a computer terminal. You type into the computer: "rubberband." There are three results:

EXACT MATCH: Item #A3: rubberband, elastic (tagged by you, you're an all-business tagger)

CLOSE MATCH: Item #G9: elastic, rubber, blue, wide, snappy (tagged by your spouse, who's an enthusiastic tagger but always forgets that you tend to search for "rubberband" instead of "elastic"-- it doesn't matter, the computer has learned or been told that "rubberband" and "elastic" are similar)

POSSIBLE MATCH: Item #B10: rbbrbanx\d (tagged by a drunk person, but the spell checker figured it out)

Click whichever one you want, and the associated drawer automatically opens. Of course, when you want to put something in a drawer to keep for later, you have a little bit of work to do: Go up to the machine, tell it you want to fill a drawer, and think of a tag or two for the item you're putting in.

Next step: Create an enclosed closet of drawers, accessed by a robot arm which brings each container as you request it.

Go for some synergy: Tell the system that a drawer is dirty, and it'll transport it autonomously to an automated washing station.

How about some real profit: There are no results for "rubberband," but there are packages of rubberbands (measured and guaranteed by the system to fit in a particular box that's empty) available at a nearby distribution point for two dollars, shipped. Click OK. Come back in a few hours.

<3

mungojelly, Jan 02 2006

[link]





      
[annotate]
  


 

back: main index

business  computer  culture  fashion  food  halfbakery  home  other  product  public  science  sport  vehicle