Everybody knows that the early 1900's was when manufacturing was born, and that many of the industrial processes created during the 20's and 30's are still in use today. However, many of them have been replaced by robots in the last 20 or so years. Because of current AI limitations, the tasks these robots can perform are very helpful, but also limited. Robots are still unable to perform a complex non-repetitive task, making expensive laborers a necessary part of the industry. However, all of that is going to change soon. Currently, the biggest drawbacks to industrial robots are awareness and maintenance. Manufacturing rigs usually have to be surrounded by a cage due to the fact that they have no awareness of objects around them, and would slam right into a worker that wondered into its path. A robot called Baxter is currently being built at Rethink Robotics to avoid this. Baxter is equipped with advanced sensors that let it detect nearby workers and avoid them. Another problem is programming. In terms of physical maintenance the yearly electricity and upkeep cost of a robot is less than that of a worker. However, factories have to pay a highly trained computer engineer to write the code for the robots, which often consist of hundreds of lines to perform a simple task. If just one character is wrong, the code will fail to execute or the robot could fail catastrophically. Baxter also solves this problem. To train it to do something, simply move its arms in the desired sequence, and it will repeat it. Although Baxter probably won't change the face of modern manufacturing, the concepts demonstrated could be what changes the world. There are, in fact, many benefits of robot manufacturing. The first is that cheap robots will remove American dependence on foreign manufacturing. Cheap robot upkeep and fewer human workers will make it cheaper to manufacture domestically This is important because not only will it bring back American jobs, but it will protect us from the danger of China's massive real-estate bubble. Second is the theory of robot replacement. If a job is taken by a robot now, the next generation won't have to do that job, so they'll do something robots can't do (like teaching or R+D, etc.). The cycle continues, and causes humans to discover new ideas and occupations that we can't even comprehend, all because they don't have to do those other tasks.
3 Comments
DLP
3/11/2013 10:57:20 am
This was very interesting! Where did you learn about "Baxter?"
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Emily
3/12/2013 11:56:27 am
A little advice for you: never start your blog with "everybody knows..." Because you're Franklin and no one ever knows what you're talking about.
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Chris
3/17/2013 10:32:36 am
YES! BRING IT ON. People will be forced to aquire some sort of competence if they wish to survive in the work world. Then again, you have to feel bad for those guys who are unable to do all the awesome stuff that robots can't do. So let this be a guideline to you all. Examine your job or what you want to do in the future and ask yourself this: "Could a robot do that?" If the answer is yes, I hope you have a backup plan, because the revolution is really going to suprise people who really shouldn't be suprised. Also, shoutout to Wired for an outstanding article on this topic.
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AuthorA pretty nerdy teenager, aspiring to be a maker or programmer (in the distant future). Archives
May 2013
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