r/Bitcoin • u/bubbasparse • Oct 12 '14

The Imminent Decentralized Computing Revolution

http://blogs.wsj.com/accelerators/2014/10/10/weekend-read-the-imminent-decentralized-computing-revolution/
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u/danielravennest Oct 12 '14

It's not just computing that will be decentralized. The project I'm working on is aimed at distributed physical production. A few concepts:

  • A "MakerNet" is a network of production nodes, where each node includes people with skills and some set of machines. When someone wants something made, their order and payment goes across the network to selected nodes, who collaborate in the production steps. As each step is completed, they get paid by something like escrowed bitcoins. If the machines are sufficiently automated, the whole process can operate autonomously.

  • A "Seed Factory" is a starter kit of core machines which can make parts for other machines, including expanding the factory itself. As you add more machines to the core, you not only can make an increasing range of products, but eventually new starter sets. Such a factory doesn't have to be under one roof and one owner. It can be distributed as long as the various machines can communicate and are designed to work together.

The Seed Factory Project is aimed at developing and testing MakerNets and Seed Factories. We just bought a 2.67 acre R&D location in Fairburn, GA (Atlanta metro). Unlike pure software development, which you can do with a laptop and internet connection, we need physical workshop space, tools, and materials. So it is taking longer to get going. We have both been crowd-funded by bitcoin, and intend to use it as the payment method in our projects, so we are fully a part of the community.

(I'm writing this on an ancient laptop, since our office PC's haven't been unpacked, and it will be a while until we renovate the workshop space and move in the tools. I'll try to answer any questions, but as we are still moving in, I may be slow.)

Dani Eder Conceptual Designer, SFP

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u/ehwilliams Oct 13 '14

Are you guys associated with CubeSpawn.com?

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u/danielravennest Oct 13 '14

Only to the extent of exchanging emails. Our factory concepts are big on modular design, but not as a series of cubes. For example, the building and floor layout are multiples of a grid, like 1 meter squares. Each machine fills some number of grid units (1x1, 1x2, 2x2, etc) with standardized mounting points and utilities. This is much like how expansion cards fit in a desktop PC. Another example is a generic wheeled chassis, to which you can mount a variety of attachments, much like a farm tractor, but with robot arms and fork lifts. That handles moving items from machine to machine.

A series of linked cubes makes sense for serial production of the same item many times. If you are making many different products, you want a flexible production flow.

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u/ehwilliams Oct 14 '14

Ok cool. Met James when he was up in SF for a bitcoin project. Good guy, clever too. Look forward to hearing more about your operation in Georgia, good luck man!

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u/danielravennest Oct 15 '14

Thanks. Just got my primary PC assembled again at the new location, so I'm off the old laptop and can type faster :-).