Comment by RaSoJo

7 hours ago

How can we trust this article or the company if the writer/so-called chief engineer decides to hide himself behind an AI avatar?

From what I can understand this is the Robbie Dickson in question: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/lessons-from-a-serial-ent_b_9...

Nobody has a problem with companies using AI to edit articles, create images. But when even the writer is an AI persona, the trust factor gets destroyed.

You evaluate the merits of the content? From a high-level systems pov, the article is largely correct, even if some details might be missed / simplified

  • Nobody is interested in correct information anymore. In 2026, trustworthy information is what people want.

    • Yes. This distinction is important.

      As a lay person, I have limited knowledge of this field, yet am extremely interested. Unfortunately AI gen content is being used widely to spread spurious information/fake news etc. So my knee jerk reaction to AI gen content is - "this is going to be fake".

      If the information you are trying to convey is true, and is technical/objective in nature, then why shy away from associating your identify to it?

I think at very least, the diagrams are AI generated too.

> https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0554/0567/4694/files/strai... The middle component has teeth on the inside half way round, should be smooth on the inside.

> https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0554/0567/4694/files/inver... 4 of the 5 orbiting threaded rollers are perpendicular to the screw thread, so wont do anything.

> https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0554/0567/4694/files/ball-... Ball doesnt fit in the screw thread, just 'squashed' to make it fit?. Screw thread isnt consistent.

> https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0554/0567/4694/files/stiff... Classic 3 interlocked gears.

> https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0554/0567/4694/files/optic... Has the elastomer been ripped when the key was inserted?

> https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0554/0567/4694/files/biolo... Another gearbox that doesnt do anything...

The rest of the website seems filled with just as much slop too...

  • Right. I'd noticed that the first image, of the harmonic drive, was wrong. The flexible ring gear can't have a disc closely attached; that would kill the flexibility that makes the whole thing go. In some designs, the flexible ring gear is just a ring. The inside of the ring has to be smooth. The elliptical plug is way too small; it has to fit the ring gear.

    Harmonic drives are confusing enough. It's amazing that they back-drive at all.

    Anything wrong in the text? I'm out of date in this area, and I was reading this as a nice catch-up. What else did they get wrong?

    [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=479Xay-Ulrs

  • I wouldn't be surprised if article is actually AI generated summary from several sources.Guided by human.

    It's a new phenomena. Recently got a book on agentic AI which looks like OpenAI docs with added generated water.