Month: February 2017

Automation is nothing new, but what is new is how affordable automated devices are becoming. In my last journal I discusses how robots could potentially cause a divide between the world’s wealthy and the world’s poor; however, Ford’s article has made me somewhat change my mind on that stance. Something very relatable that he brought up was the cost of the Xbox Kinect. This motion detecting device would typically cost tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars, but Microsoft was able to produce it for retail sale at $150. It also brought up how Tesla (automated cars) are made by robots very efficiently. This has lead to a massive cost decrease for Tesla and now you can buy one for as little as $35,000. What is ironic is that the solution to making robots affordable is robots. We now even have humanoid robots like Baxter who can be trained (not programmed) to perform a variety of repetitive tasks.
Soon Robots like Baxter will have all of our jobs and the question of if we should pay them or not will be a tough one. If we don’t then the question of Universal Income will become important. If there are no jobs for humans, how will we make money? Automated technology is advancing at a rate that is too quick for us to answer all the questions it brings a long with it.

Automated technology has surrounded us for the longest time now. We see in McDonald’s with their introduction of automated kiosks where one can place their order without having to interact with an employee. We see it in the car industry as explained in the reading, where they are taking in the manufacturing jobs and contributing to the rapid product lifecycle; in the medical field they are making advancements for the introduction of robots into the operating rooms, CNN reporting in March 2016 that a team of surgeons at the Children’s National Medical Center showed for the first time how a supervised autonomous robot could perform soft-tissue surgery (on a pig) and stitching doing so better than a human surgeon. The introduction of automated robots allows our manufacturing system to be more competitive but at what cost? Martin Ford provides the negative impacts that will com with such advancements the disruption of the service sector being the one most affected. The introduction of robots will reduce labor costs but it will also reduce the space needed for workers in the field affecting their economical and living conditions. With the example of the robot that can produce 360 burgers in an hour, the co-founder of the machine said that with its introduction, “reducing the amount of space required in the kitchens will allow restaurants to spend more in high-quality ingredients…”. If we make it more general and not only apply it to the quality of the food but the overall quality of the products we use and consume,  by eliminating those jobs that provided an income to many, how will people be able to afford these “high-quality” commodities? The introduction of automated robots will eliminate those jobs that once was the sole income of a family. I think that the advancements occurring in technology nowadays are not bad; in fact their involvement in manufacturing is allowing for more precise products and for a faster production in greater quantities but I also thinking that as a society we have to evaluate where will these advancements take us and how it will affect the living conditions of the working class. Where will our society be driven to in the upcoming years if we shift to a system solemnly dependent on automated technology?

Rise of the Robots by Martin Ford brought on a lot of different perspectives about robots. What it made me realize is that we humans are a lot smarter and more capable than we give ourselves credit. To start, the beginning of the article discussed how our brains act differently than robots because we can perceive complicated 3D situations and immediately be able to make sense of it. While a robot would need to take time to process the image, and cannot understand 3D images. However, new technology that was created that allowed for Nintendo’s and other gaming systems that made the games more interactive for their users. This transformed the way people saw gaming systems and also allowed for robot like systems to be able to see and produce 3D images. The way robots have been able to transform is quite amazing, but our brains are already way smarter and sometimes faster than robots are which we as a society need to recognize.

The way robots have risen to their popularity is because they have taken over industries to create mass production. For example, China took advantage of robots in the car industry. Foreign cars are more popular than American made cars because China took advantage of the automation and created hundreds of thousands of cars immediately. This took jobs away from people and is one of the main reasons why places like Detroit became so impoverished so quickly If every industry started to move away from human work and towards robots, what would happen to the people? What would we do as a society if we did not have to work. Would depression decrease, the standard of living increase, and life expectancy increase? Or would it be the complete opposite?

After reading Chapter 1 from the Rise of Robots, I gained a new insight on automation technology that I never considered before. If I am being completely honest, the idea of robots scares me. While I think the innovation in technology is absolutely amazing, the competitiveness in the field is what makes me worry. As it was said in the chapter, when Nintendo came out with the technology for the system to interpret three dimensions, Sony Corporations followed pursuit in the new technology. However, Microsoft (being a giant leader in the technological field) decided to go a step further with the idea in their creation of the Kinect add on game consol. The new systems technology improved the consumer experience, and impressed gamers with the affordable technology. While I think Microsoft’s invention is harmless, the competitive attitude among the different tech Company’s is evolving technology faster than I think is necessary. For that reason, I get nervous at what people will try to create next to one up their competitors. I do think a lot of testing and time goes into perfecting these technologies; but it is possible that the competitive nature in this field could make the manufactures miss a step in the process. With some of these robots producing cars, computers, and even exploiting bombs, I think people need to heir on caution with Automation systems creation for the safety of people.

On the other hand, I think Martin Ford brings up an excellent upside to the introduction of robots to manufacturing. These robots are becoming so cheap and efficient that they are influencing companies to bring their production back to the United States from China and Mexico. Many people criticize the automation systems because of the creative destruction that has resulted. Many people have lost their jobs, and they were replaced with technology that could do the job quicker, and with less financial risk. Despite this, I think it is more important for companies to move their production back to the United States because it is more beneficial to the American people. Although the companies will offer less jobs to people, the jobs they do offer would be better than the zero jobs that would be available in the United States in the production was somewhere in Mexico. Additionally, transportation costs will decrease as the production will be closer to the markets, and people might be able to reap the benefits in price reduction of some products. Lastly, production in the United States would overall benefit the American economy.

At this point in time, technological advancement is inevitable. I think that if we as a society monitor and accept these technologies as they come, we will be able to work together to enhance our daily lives, while also growing our economy. I think it is also time for the big tech companies to focus on innovations that will help solve our reliance on fossil fuels.

The reading for this week titled, The Rise of the Robots, by Martin Ford, discussed the expansion of robotics across the globe in all aspects of industrialization. Ford begins the chapter by describing a scenario of a human worker and a machine moving boxes. The human worker understands that one must remove boxes from the top first so the pile doesn’t collapse. On the other hand, the machine takes time to perceive the situation then moves the boxes. Ford states that overtime as machines become more advanced, they will be able to move a box a second while a human moves a box every six seconds. “Robots can work continuously, will never get tired or suffer back injury, and will never file worker’s compensation claims.” The article goes on to give examples of robots taking over all tasks at work. For example, at the Tesla production headquarters in Fremont, California, the same robot is able to install seats, retool itself, apply adhesive, and then drop the windshield in place. The International Federation of Robotics stated that global shipments of industrial robots increased by more than 60 percent between 2000-2012. However, the fastest growing market of robotics is in China. Robot installations grew at about 25 percent per year. Ford goes on to explain that we are currently in an, ‘explosive wave of innovation,’ meaning that humans will eventually manufacture robots that can complete tasks in any commercial, industrial and consumer area. Scientists at Stanford University developed a Robot Operating System (ROS) that is used as the platform for robotics development. This software can be modified in any which way allowing it to be applied to any robotic body. In terms of the U.S. manufacturing industry, robots have been eliminating  various jobs of human workers. As these robots become more capable of completing tasks, factories will approach becoming fully automation. Martin Ford concludes his passage by stating that as robotics are used across the country, they will threaten lower wage jobs that require modest training. Some assume the U.S. will be able to absorb all these free workers and create high-skilled, higher-wage jobs for them. Ford believes this may be false in the end.