Good point, Greg. Manual labor robots are coming, just as ATMs were coming 20 years ago. An engineer from Friendly Robotics, which was an early developer of lawn-mowing robots, said he believes robotic lawn mowers will be as common one day as garage door openers are today.
GW, yours is the most important point made on this subject. There has to come a day when the number of people working and actually earning money is no longer enough to support the money makers life style. What happens to all of those people that can't retrain? equally important how many doctors etc who can't (YET) be replaced do we need, ie. are there enough places in "quality" professions for the multitude that perhaps can be retrained? I think there needs to be a total re-write of the rules of economic engagement lest we have 60-80% of the population starving without a roof over their head and no medical. That by the way is the stuff revolutions are made of. We have to remember that desperate people take desperate measures. Another one of my favourite sayings is "There is no peace possible without social justice"
Computer-robotic technology is finally reaching the point where most repetitive and menial tasks no longer need human labor. Problem is - we do not have even an inkling of how to deal with it. Where are the social, political, educational and economic institutions that can make these incredible technological advances benefit the human race? So far, the vast riches that these advances have generated have simply mushroomed the divide between rich and poor, and now between rich and poor-middle class.
So far, those of us with good jobs are feeling great about technology, but there will come a time in the near future when we won't have to be doing our work either, and unless the democratic process and the free market system can adapt to this new reality, I see an unpleasant dystopian future.
This continues to affirm my belief that automation and robots will continue to take over more and more of our repetitive manual labor tasks. Today, it is commonplace to use machines to check out at the grocery store or perform our ATM banking (displacing many grocery store clerks and bank tellers). Articles like this one and the robotic lawn mower point to the next generation of automation trends.
I would consider the artificial intelligence involved in this robot to be quite advanced. It was my notion that a human would be needed for pruning and de-suckering a vine, as this is somewhat subjective to a vintner's experience. If this is accomplished robotically, I am impressed.
it is pretty confirmed fact that ultimately robotos with advancement in AI techniques would take care of almost every field. helping the agri field is jus one of the example of it. but as far as robotic development is concern the high cost of the advanced sensory systems and power back up for a long run is a really a constrin.
This is a great use of technology to help with a manual labor task. With the advances of tractor designs, a single farmer can harvest 100 acres in a few hours. This was unheard of in recent past. The ability of the robot to navigate rough terrain and harvest may bring this speed of harvest to vineyards as well.
Good point, Naperlou. This is indeed the future of manual labor, which is why education will be so important for those laborers who could be displaced.
This harvesting robot is good and bad. Good in that it allows harvesting in most any kind of weather and/or conditions without risking humans. Bad in that it may take the place of people who could/would do that kind of work.
Elizabeth, what is the expected cost of this robot?
For 3D printing to make the jump from rapid prototyping to manufacturing, engineers will need to find easier ways to move products from their CAD screens to their printers.
Gigabit and PoE are two networking technologies moving ahead in tandem as industrial users power remote Ethernet devices such as IP security cameras at 1,000 Mbps over existing CAT5 cable.
New versions of BASF's Ecovio line are both compostable and designed for either injection molding or thermoforming. These combinations are becoming more common for the single-use bioplastics used in food service and food packaging applications, but are still not widely available.
From Dell / Intel® New Paradigms in Design Work Scott Hamilton, vertical market strategist for Dell Precision workstations, 5/2/2013 5
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For industrial control applications, or even a simple assembly line, that machine can go almost 24/7 without a break. But what happens when the task is a little more complex? That’s where the “smart” machine would come in. The smart machine is one that has some simple (or complex in some cases) processing capability to be able to adapt to changing conditions. Such machines are suited for a host of applications, including automotive, aerospace, defense, medical, computers and electronics, telecommunications, consumer goods, and so on. This radio show will show what’s possible with smart machines, and what tradeoffs need to be made to implement such a solution.
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