OK Sen. Coburn Report Shows Taxpayer Money Spent on Robots That Fold Laundry, Shrimp on Treadmills

ABC News ^ | 5/26/11 | JONATHAN KARL and MATTHEW JAFFE

[Libloather]

Oklahoma Sen. Tom Coburn Report Shows Taxpayer Money Spent on Robots That Fold Laundry, Shrimp on Treadmills
By JONATHAN KARL and MATTHEW JAFFE
May 26, 2011

You've probably heard of shrimp on the barbie, but what about shrimp on a treadmill?

The National Science Foundation has, and it spent $500,000 of taxpayer money researching it. It's not entirely clear what this research hoped to establish.

But it's one of a number of projects cited in a scathing new report from Sen. Tom Coburn, a Republican from Oklahoma, exclusively obtained by ABC News.

It's not just shrimp on a treadmill. The foundation spent $1.5 million to create a robot that can fold laundry. But before you try to buy one to save some time, consider that it takes the robot 25 minutes to fold a single towel.

The list goes on. Lots of people love to use FarmVille on Facebook, but lots of people probably don't love the government's spending $300,000 in taxpayer money to study whether it helps build personal relationships.

[Libloather]

Video and hot link to the report @ the link.

[FlyingEagle]

Shrimp on a treadmill. I cannot even imagine it.

[philman_36]

Video and hot link to the report @ the link.
The hot link goes to another article, not the report!

But it's one of a number of projects cited in a scathing new report from >Sen. Tom Coburn, a Republican from Oklahoma<, exclusively obtained by ABC News.
>http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/sen-tom-coburn-budget-battle-senators-gonads/story?id=13365369< Sen. Tom Coburn on Budget Battle: 'We Need Senators with Gonads'
...exclusively obtained... when it's freely obtainable from the Web?
BWAHAHAHAHA! We are the gatekeepers.

The report is linked here...Senator Tom Coburn, M.D.
Direct link...The National Science Foundation: Under the Microscope

It happened here as well, xzins.

[HiTech RedNeck]

Rosie the robot from the Jetsons cartoon series was considerably more efficient than this. Or was the towel folding robot powered by shrimp on teeny tiny treadmills?

[HiTech RedNeck]

The aquatic version of a hamster wheel?

[KoRn]

Who in the hell is(are) actually approving and writing the checks for this garbage?

They need to be rooted out of the bureaucracy, dragged out of their offices, and strung up from a lamp posts!

[philman_36]

My thoughts from the other thread... so you'll know what I was getting at.
You know, I've found it frustrating over the years that both the old and the new media fail to provide even the most fundamental information needed for readers to follow up on their stories. Whether it's reports like this or bills in Congress a reader rarely finds hyperlinks to the referenced material.
Such articles typically use wording such as this...
"The House passed a bill today that will...blah, blah, blah... It now moves to the Senate."
No mention is made of the name of the bill or the bill number. A person interested in the issue is reduced to spending (sometimes) hours trying to unwrap the pretzel such shoddy journalism creates.
Event though there is Internet access to the needed information it takes a person with a thorough knowledge of navigating the Internet to find the information to become informed.

Maybe I just expect too much.

[WayneS]

Shrimp on a Treadmill?

It’s not what you think. Robert Reich is making a workout tape.

It’s still outrageous that it’s being paid for with taxpayer dollars, but at least no tiny little sea creatures were harmed...

;-)

[USFRIENDINVICTORIA]

A strong case can be made for government support of basic research — especially in a field such as robotics.

Contrast that with massive subsidies for the full-scale implementation of technologies that are not ready for prime time — such as windmills, solar power, etc. The economic viability of those technologies is not proven — they may never be able to operate without subsidies.

The private sector can and should take technologies from the lab to the marketplace.

[philman_36]

Event = Even
proofread, damnit!

[USFRIENDINVICTORIA]

Someone needs to fund research into why typos only become apparent, after one presses “Post”.

[Tex-Con-Man]

In the most manly, NFL butt-slappin’, thug-hug, neanderthal kinda way...I love Coburn.

[greatplains]

Shrimp on a treadmill??? Are you kidding me? What kind of @#$&*#$ drugs do you have to be on to even come up with an idea like that?? Or find it worthy of funding? Judas H. Tapdancing Priest!

[philman_36]

Someone needs to fund research into why typos only become apparent, after one presses “Post”.
LOL! That's worth years of free money there. The "Preview" button's sitting right there and I still miss typos.
What's worse (and even more humiliating) is I only noticed it after having reposted my reply! I didn't catch it the first time and I try very hard to keep the "Posting Police" at bay.

[afraidfortherepublic]

I love Tom Coburn almust as much as I love Paul Ryan.

[Made In The USA]

Every time one of these reports come out, I ask where is the prosecution or at least public humiliation of those who allowed this BS?

No repercussions = no big deal.

It is insulting to think that the lifetime sum of a man’s federal tax levy could be squandered in moments by some retard in Washington....

[nina0113]

I was all excited about the laundry robot till I saw the ‘25 minutes for a single towel’ part.

[DannyTN]

"A strong case can be made for government support of basic research — especially in a field such as robotics."

Agreed. "Contrast that with massive subsidies for the full-scale implementation of technologies that are not ready for prime time — such as windmills, solar power, etc. The economic viability of those technologies is not proven — they may never be able to operate without subsidies."

Agreed. I could make some exceptions in areas such as energy where there are clear strategic national policy goals. But the technology needs to be demonstratively viable. Spending billions chasing windmills that were never going to be viable is crazy.

Spending billions on ethanol is highly questionable. But at least I now have a car that only gets 5% less mpg on 10% ethanol, instead of one that got 10% less mpg on 10% ethanol.

"The private sector can and should take technologies from the lab to the marketplace. "

When a technology is viable and critical to the nation, I can see government backing it. For example I can see low interest loans to build nuclear plants.

But such backing shouldn't normally be in the form of subsidies. It should be in the form of low interest loans to build facilities that the government holds liens on. Any government backing should be limited to research and start-up costs not ongoing production.

[xzins]

I wonder why?

[philman_36]

I wonder why?
Why they don't provide hyperlinks or the requisite information?
IMO they want people to remain ignorant so they have to keep "coming back to them" for further understanding.
Hard headed, stubborn jerks like me prove you don't need 'em. All you need is a modicum of skill and persistence.