Mass customized testing and manufacturing via the Internet

This paper sets forth a global scheme for creating Internet-accessible machines that perform a variety of digital-physical operations in a highly flexible manner. The scheme integrates existing capabilities and technologies from a number of areas - laboratory science, automation and robotics, interconnect standards, object-oriented languages, relational databases, shipping services, and Internet providers. For scientific and medical research applications, the batch science machines described herein would serve as programmable laboratory technicians, perform the work of hundreds of humans, and help investigators tackle "big" problems. For consumer- related applications, the batch manufacturing machines described herein would allow individuals to design, order, and purchase many types of customized product at the touch of a button.