The tools that make technology

Selling components and machinery for magnetizing platters in a hard drive is not the kind of thing you dream about in high school. But someone has to do it, and, like all subcultures, it's somewhat fascinating. This week, the International Disk Drive Equipment and Materials Association sponsored Diskcon 2007 in Santa Clara, Calif., where many showed off their wares. Here are the machines behind the machines you buy.

Pictured here are sorting robots from Adept Technology. The company's main selling point is that up to 24 of the robots can be operated by one controller. That leads to fewer maintenance headaches. Note the graphic on the warning label. I think it's telling you not to use this as exercise equipment.

Caption text by CNET News.com's Michael Kanellos

Photo by Michael Kanellos/CNET News.com