Dey took ur jerbs!

[Sinue_v2]

http://www.geekologie.com/2007/06/22/hrb-3-robot-00.jpg

Big surprise, Japan makes another leap forward in robotics. This new model can supposedly work in hazardous environments and torrential rains, simulating tasks previously only humans could do (although very slowly), and is unaffected by slick surfaces such as ice and water, or rubble and debris. It's being hailed as the first multi-functional robot capable of entering the workforce.

http://www.geekologie.com/2007/06/hrp3_promet_mkii_bluecollar_ro.php

Though I think from a PR angle, they really shouldn't have showcased the thing holding something that looks conspicuously like a futuristic laser pistol. Battlestar Galactica anyone?

Now lets see them build them 30 feet tall, give them wings, and big ass sword.

[DikkyRay]

SHIIIIIIIIIIINIIIING FIIIINGEEEEEEEEEEEER
But seriously this is gay. When i get out of college, they will robbly be working all our jobs for us.
Oh wait, what i meant to say is we will be working jobs for our robot masters

[UnderscoreX]

Freaking goobacks. (http://theytookerjerbs.ytmnd.com/)

[Banish]

Sounds good...

Reminds me of more GUNDAMs...

[HAYABUSA-FMW-]

That face is already a little too menacing for a workaholic mutli-tasker bot don't ya think?

[Solstis]

According to the link, it costs 3.8 million.

3.8 million of awkardly walking evil death machine.

[HAYABUSA-FMW-]

Yeah, nearly 4 mil buys you an animi-tronics body these days?

We're a ways off from rich boys playing high stakes with Armored Core deathmatching then.

And RL soap operas with 15 year olds saving the world with giant robot piloting SKEELZ.

[Siertes]

Man, I knew we were screwed but not this soon! Where's an emo Japanese youth when you need one...

[Blitzkommando]

I like how it has metallic nipples to go with the gun, just in case you didn't think it was sadistic looking enough.

[HAYABUSA-FMW-]

Actually in the link it follows through to a second link:
http://www.pinktentacle.com/2007/06/hrp-3-promet-mk-ii-blue-collar-robot/



was designed by mecha creator Yutaka Izubuchi, who is well-known for his work on anime such as Gundam and Patlabor. Depending on how the droid is programmed, it can either work autonomously or be operated by a human via a wireless remote control system.
Yeah, probably want to keep it under control there. And Gundam-based? Gundanium armor is still fiction so I guess we're good.

[Axispoint]

Interesting, considering the only kind of robots I work with are these:

http://www.pma-magazine.com/images/2002/May/Ftr_R_A_Elwood_ELC2.jpg

"Sprue pickers" that take the part out of the mold so the operator doesn't have to (or can run a machine auto and have someone come by for catching up the parts or starting it back on cycle if the robot or machine mess up). Pretty low tech (and they tend to screw up a lot, either because they can't get the part out of the mold or something in the robot breaks down, like the sensor that determines weither it has the part in it's grip or not...always fun when those die...every five minutes it trips it's own alarm because it's blind and can't "see" the part in it's grip).

I watched "I Robot" not long ago and that got me thinking about robot's taking jobs. I wonder if that will ever happen in our lifetime? This new robot could mean it's possible, but I don't know. I don't think I'd mind having a robot to talk to or maybe one to play games with (hehe...can you level my WoW characters, Mr Robot?). Don't know if I'd be too happy to loose a job to one, though (I can imagine, though, if not for some of the robots we have at work, that we'd have a few more people working there...).

[Sord]

I really doubt robots taking to many jobs is a problem within our life time. Any robot that's built to model human function and form to a great extent is way to expensive to be logically mass produced. Plus, even if robots did start taking over jobs, that just means more people would have to go into robotic mechanics and programing. So it would create and destroy jobs anyways.

Plus, with good ol planned obsolescence on our side, we're guranteed to never get a robot that lasts more than 5 years http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_wacko.gif



<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Sord on 2007-06-24 04:21 ]</font>

[Sinue_v2]

They're actually "planning" on introducing these sort of robots into the workforce by 2010 at an estimated price of about $120,000 per bot according to Engadget.

So uh... everybody back in the pile?

[DikkyRay]

No sinue, we can change our environment to make living for the robots in the future better, so they wont come back and take our jobs!
....o wait thats gay, back to the pile.

[HUnewearl_Meira]

Well, consider this: If robots start taking the menial jobs, then those products that once required a human workforce will become substantially cheaper. This means all agricultural products (food, materials for clothing, etc), electronics, constructs (ie, buildings), and so on. There may not be as many jobs, but those jobs that are available are higher paying and the products available become cheaper.

[Sinue_v2]

There may not be as many jobs, but those jobs that are available are higher paying and the products available become cheaper.

I don't know if they plan to sell the robot outside of Japan, or if it will even take off as anything other than a workforce novelty until it can manufactured with more vercitility and reliability. However, on the assumption that it does, and that devices like them become popular in the workforce - then it IS going to reduce jobs and (from a pessimistic view) not reduce prices significantly. Higher paying jobs and more human oriented tasks will remain, however many of them are going to require higher education - perhaps pushing collage attendance as manditory. Hell it almost is now. America, at least, isn't fareing so well on the education front.

In a way, we're already seeing the trend now with illegal immigrants. Companies like DelMonte have had plants raided where all but 30-some out of over 300 employees were illegal. They were paid lower wages, sub-standard (or in some cases, no) insurance or benefits, ect. We're seeing thousands of under-educated Americans displaced from menial labor jobs, and yet - no real drop in consumer prices to reflect the corperations savings.

I think artificializing the menial labor workforce is a good deal - provided we can match the industrial change with meaningful educational reform. This may require free, or substancially reduced cost manditory collage educations similar to primary and secondary school.

[HUnewearl_Meira]

Reduced cost college, or longer high school. Either way, the end result is that it becomes easier for mankind to live.

This is all still quite some time off, though. I wouldn't expect robots to be gaining momentum at taking over the work force until 2030 or so, and they probably won't have replaced human workers in near entirety until perhaps 2040. That it'll take that long to develop the technology is only half the reason for this. The need for higher education among the population is the other half. What we'll see, is that people who previously relied on labor-intense jobs, in finding themselves displaced, will be forced to either go back to school or retire. There will be those who get angry, protest and such, maybe even a few that attempt violence. There will be a rise in crime, though even that is balanced by an increase in job availability private security and law enforcement.

As the pre-robot generation gets older, however, and new generations succeed, each passing generation will be better prepared. With the menial jobs gone, the remaining jobs requiring education, the majority of the world's population will end up better educated; the alternatives are vagrancy, crime or starvation.

This means a smarter world, and one in which we'll have more time to devote to arts and the sciences. So while the initial changes will make things hard, once it gets into its swing, living becomes easier for us.