Robotic Nation Evidence

Closing the circle

Basically the idea is to create robotic tailors to replace the people who now sew garments together in third-world countries.

From the article: "Details of exactly how these high-tech tailor's dummies work are closely guarded, pending patent protection, but the basic idea is that a network of actuators inside the dummy will push and pull a flexible outer shell into different shapes. The dummy will then be used as a template to locate pieces of fabric in the appropriate position while robotic sewing arms buzz around stitching the pieces together, much like the spot-welding machines found in car factories. To what extent Leapfrog is a response to genuine market need, as opposed to a piece of industrial policy intended to keep the European garment-making industry alive in the face of competition from low-wage countries, is not yet clear."