Data Acquisition

I can't see how this autonomous control method would be useful in a factory except for moving around in open space. And moving around in open space is always dangerous if you are unaware of changes to your environment. The control system would have to improvise for impediments and safety devices would have to be included to the extent that it would no longer be autonomous.

That being said, there is the problem of precision and accuracy. There are already several types of devices that are programmed via a "teach" method of some kind or another. These devices can then search for position information so that it can perform some function using the actual location instead of the expected location. This is necessary because variation in manufacturing is a fact of life and is both normal and expected. Autonomy does not imply the ability to deal effectively with variation, unless it also uses some sort of vision system or equavalent sensor network.

Lastly, robotic autonomy requires additional intelegence such as "crash avoidance" and "escape route planning" should it have to abort some movement. Even a sudden stop, in mid-air, does not guarantee that something behind it will avoid it as well. To be safe, there are many more variables that must be monitored. Or, it can just exist within the confines of a cage like other good robots. Most machines would not survive the consequences of a bad decision.