Watch as this small-scale chair autonomously assembles itself

[Shawn Knight]

Are you familiar with the infinite monkey theorem? The one in which a monkey sitting in front of a typewriter for an infinite amount of time could type up the complete works of Shakespeare (or any other given text).

With that thought in mind, check out this self-assembling chair that researchers at MIT’s self-assembly lab have been working on. The researchers threw six individual pieces into a tub of water that’s getting sloshed around by a couple of fans. Each component has an embedded magnet of a different strength in its end so that it only connects to its corresponding piece.

Given enough time (in this case, about seven hours), the chair is able to assemble itself. Keep in mind of course that this is a small-scale project although with a large enough tank, magnets and fans, I suppose it could be possible to replicate it in full-size.

It’s certainly cool to witness when sped up although it’s not yet practical.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/59794-watch-small-scale-chair-autonomously-assembles-itself.html

 

[dunebeetle]

This is about as impressive as a monkey typing a four letter word in seven hours.

 

[Littleczr]

How is this a comparison with the monkey typewriter theorem, the chair has magnets which will sooner or later guide it to the right place.

 

[VitalyT]

Researchers? I guess that's one word for them...

When kids are asked to conduct a social research at school, they often-case upload some dumb videos on YouTube to see the response. In that context they are equally researchers, because who knows, the next dumbest thing may become the new Gangnam Style...

 

[Badvok]

Are you aware that there is no such thing as the " infinite monkey theorem", it was just a joke in a comedy written by Douglas Adams. If anyone ever put it forward as a real theorem it would be shot to pieces within seconds.

What these researchers are doing experimenting with methods of uniquely identifying connections for self-assembly mechanisms is actual real-life science, not comic fantasy.

 

[Kibaruk]

How is this a comparison with the monkey typewriter theorem, the chair has magnets which will sooner or later guide it to the right place.

Exactly, give the parts "ENOUGH TIME" and they'll eventually find each others sweet spot to the part where it becomes a full chair.

In the end it's not the monkey or the writting the important part of the theorem, the idea behind it is that give something enough time and it will happen, one way or the other.

 

[Nima304]

It’s certainly cool to witness when sped up although it’s not yet practical.

Seriously? This concept will never be practical.

 

[Emexrulsier]

It’s certainly cool to witness when sped up although it’s not yet practical.

Seriously? This concept will never be practical.

How about if this was done at the bottom of the ocean, just dropping in pieces and structures could build themselves...

 

[Kibaruk]

How about if this was done at the bottom of the ocean, just dropping in pieces and structures could build themselves...

If you have two huge turbines, or they fall exactly in the spot for the magnet, maybe, but a huge maybe, an inprobable maybe, actually it's a non-existant maybe. Better just saying NO.

 

[Badvok]

How is this a comparison with the monkey typewriter theorem, the chair has magnets which will sooner or later guide it to the right place.

Exactly, give the parts "ENOUGH TIME" and they'll eventually find each others sweet spot to the part where it becomes a full chair.

In the end it's not the monkey or the writting the important part of the theorem, the idea behind it is that give something enough time and it will happen, one way or the other.

Something that is impossible will not happen no matter how much time you give it. This is nothing like that, the trick is making sure it is possible for it to happen sometime. Unlike a monkey randomly hitting a keyboard where some key combinations will be totally impossible.

 

[p51d007]

When I learned to ride a bike, I fell down A LOT, but eventually I learned to ride a bike. On this deal, the deck is stacked because of the magnets.

 

[Nima304]

How about if this was done at the bottom of the ocean, just dropping in pieces and structures could build themselves...

It'd be faster and cheaper to bring a submersible vehicle to build the things. If you're building stuff at the bottom of the ocean, you have the budget to do it correctly.

 

[Kibaruk]

Something that is impossible will not happen no matter how much time you give it. This is nothing like that, the trick is making sure it is possible for it to happen sometime. Unlike a monkey randomly hitting a keyboard where some key combinations will be totally impossible.

"The infinite monkey theorem states that a monkey hitting keys at random on a typewriter keyboard for an INFINITE AMOUNT OF TIME will almost surely type a given text, such as the complete works of William Shakespeare."

There, the end.

 

[Badvok]

"The infinite monkey theorem states that a monkey hitting keys at random on a typewriter keyboard for an INFINITE AMOUNT OF TIME will almost surely type a given text, such as the complete works of William Shakespeare."

There, the end.

Except that even the Wikipedia article (that you ripped off without accreditation) states that it only applies if a true random generator is substituted for the actual monkey.

 

[Kibaruk]

Except that even the Wikipedia article (that you ripped off without accreditation) states that it only applies if a true random generator is substituted for the actual monkey.

Oh right, because it actually meant that an actual monkey would be sitting in front of an actual typewritter writting actual random strings for an actual eternity...

Geez you are a fast one!

PS: I quoted it, and it has a bunch of links of/to wikipedia, and never said I wrote it myself, also, you should never quote wikipedia.

 

[Guest]

Oh right, because it actually meant that an actual monkey would be sitting in front of an actual typewritter writting actual random strings for an actual eternity...

Geez you are a fast one!

PS: I quoted it, and it has a bunch of links of/to wikipedia, and never said I wrote it myself, also, you should never quote wikipedia.

If by 'it' you mean the original joke then yes, I think actual monkeys were meant as part of the comic effect, but if you meant the submitted, peer reviewed and published theorem then no, since that doesn't actually exist. However, if you meant the meme as understood by you then I'm not really sure how my lack of telepathic ability indicates whether or not I am a 'fast one'.

While the original joke was intended to improve understanding of probability it appears it has had the opposite effect and lead to the ignorant now saying things like "give something enough time and it will happen" when it should be: give something IMPROBABLE enough time and opportunities and it will happen but that which is IMPOSSIBLE will never happen.

PS: WTF, you quote wikipedia and then say you shouldn't?

 

[Kibaruk]

If by 'it' you mean the original joke then yes, I think actual monkeys were meant as part of the comic effect, but if you meant the submitted, peer reviewed and published theorem then no, since that doesn't actually exist. However, if you meant the meme as understood by you then I'm not really sure how my lack of telepathic ability indicates whether or not I am a 'fast one'.

While the original joke was intended to improve understanding of probability it appears it has had the opposite effect and lead to the ignorant now saying things like "give something enough time and it will happen" when it should be: give something IMPROBABLE enough time and opportunities and it will happen but that which is IMPOSSIBLE will never happen.

PS: WTF, you quote wikipedia and then say you shouldn't?

I said... you shouldn't "quote" as "got from wikipedia", because it's written by lots of people who get the information from different sources, so you don't actually quote the wikipedia, is not like quoting from a book, or whatnot, that.