[Pietro]

It's funny but about 25-30 years ago I worked at CMU (in the Design & Const. Dept) and a young computer engineer asked me to take him out on a construction site because he was working on a program to automate heavy equipment.

While we were out there an operating engineer turned over a dime laying on the ground w/ the bucket of a large excavator. Did not disturb the dirt under the dime.

I told the young man that I did not consider automated heavy equipment on a construction site to be a safe idea and I still believe that.

[abb]

It will eventually happen, to a degree. Of course it depends upon the specific application.

Recall, automated looms were said to be unworkable 200 years ago. Look how that turned out.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luddite