Count me in for $20 as well.
One correction though:
Q: What's the worst thing that could happen?
A: We end up scrapping it because nobody cares about
a giant robot :(
The worst thing that could happen is that this thing seriously injures or
even kills someone! Industrial robots moving autonomously are scarily
strong, fast, and dangerous.
I assume 16 sqft is just the footprint for the robot itself? What reach
does it have? I would guess we would need a cage at least double that size
to do anything useful with it.
Hm - what's the chance we could suspend this thing from the ceiling? You
could hang it so it's safely out of reach, and then lift whatever it's
working on within its work area.
Plus, what hackerspace has an industrial robot looming overhead? :-D
Patrik