It's not a net neutral for most companies. It's a huge benefit for all the companies in that area. Skilled professionals have a choice of region and company to work in. IF they choose one with better terms for them, then that region will have a more skilled pool of workers. This benefits companies in that region. One could argue that the stronger ecosystem and pool of employees creates significant benefits that outweigh any corporate advantage due to restricting employee mobility. That's what the above reference is arguing.
Ok I'm guessing you're a new grad. If you're already working this might not apply.
Use this time to do things OTHER than work. Work out. Travel. Rest. Visit friends. spend time with family. Read for fun.
The other suggestions here are all good. very useful. It's just that this is a great opportunity to do things you can't do when working. Once you start your career it's VERY unusual to get a month or more time off. It might feel like you have lots of time on your hands, but the opportunity you have is actually brief.
I especially recommend travel. If you're young and single, you can afford to travel cheap. You know you have a job starting, so it's ok to spend now knowing you have income ahead.
The article mentions slippage, grinding, play, noise and vibration. These are generally undesirable in machinery. Slippage and grinding suggest significant problems with wear and durability. That would limit the lifespan of the gearbox.
It's still pretty cool and could be very useful. That doesn't mean there aren't useful applications. It just means there are design tradeoffs.
It looks like a pretty rudimentary prototype. Many of those issues are addressed with better manufacturing tolerances, different materials, and tooth profiles. I'm not sure those features are inherent limitations as much as drawbacks to the prototype implementation.
This is the kind of subtlety we need people to tell us about. Thanks.
I don't think we'll impose a karma threshold. Browsing through this morning's thread, most of the posts are clearly legit. Punishing innocent posts (as would inevitably happen with a threshold) isn't justified unless the problem becomes critical, and it's not.
