> Back to your flat-surface scenario, perhaps similar system could create virtual shelves or cubbyholes? When you present the robot an item, it remembers the handoff location in space, and moving your hand there again causes it to offer the corresponding object.
That's genius, actually! This would solve the problem, as long as the robot is reliably fast and accurate in giving back the right object at the right moment! And as long as it has enough capacity and/or appendages[0].
This reminds me of a related insight that was also enlightening to me when I heard it. It was in one of the SICP lectures, that talked about infinite streams and lazy evaluation[1]. Quoting from the transcript[2], emphasis mine:
"Again, you can ask. Is that data structure integers really all the integers? Or is it is something that's cleverly
arranged so that whenever you look for an integer you find it there? That's sort of a philosophical question, right?
If something is there whenever you look, is it really there or not? It's sort of the same sense in which the money in
your savings account is in the bank."
--
[0] - In some 5-10% of cases, I don't just want to temporarily let go of the object - I want it positioned in a specific place for a visual reference. Think instruction manual, a recipe sheet, or a tablet screen. Your robot solution could still solve this, with a few dedicated appendages to hold things in place.
That's genius, actually! This would solve the problem, as long as the robot is reliably fast and accurate in giving back the right object at the right moment! And as long as it has enough capacity and/or appendages[0].
This reminds me of a related insight that was also enlightening to me when I heard it. It was in one of the SICP lectures, that talked about infinite streams and lazy evaluation[1]. Quoting from the transcript[2], emphasis mine:
"Again, you can ask. Is that data structure integers really all the integers? Or is it is something that's cleverly arranged so that whenever you look for an integer you find it there? That's sort of a philosophical question, right? If something is there whenever you look, is it really there or not? It's sort of the same sense in which the money in your savings account is in the bank."
--
[0] - In some 5-10% of cases, I don't just want to temporarily let go of the object - I want it positioned in a specific place for a visual reference. Think instruction manual, a recipe sheet, or a tablet screen. Your robot solution could still solve this, with a few dedicated appendages to hold things in place.
[1] - https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/6-001-structure-and-interpretati...
[2] - https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/6-001-structure-and-interpretati...