Are Robots taking our jobs?

This is a TED talk with Andrew McAfee;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMF-Z74C1QE (14 minute video)

Every new factory that opens up is full to the brim with automated Robots that make every product under the Sun. But for each new Robot that makes a new product, this takes the jobs of three people. Right now today there are millions of Robots making millions of products.

Are the Robots making everybody unemployed?
Are they taking our jobs?
Maybe its a good thing, maybe we don't want to work as slaves on factory lines?

Watch the robots taking YOUR job;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkNVhtOCcrE

John.

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Robots cost less to feed than people and they are more accurate.

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this takes the jobs of three people

Bit optimistic there aren't you. If you do the figures of machine working 24/7/365 and people doing 35/week then there needs to be a min of 5 people working. And that assumes the people work for every one of the 35 hours and is not sick or want holidays etc. etc.

So I would say "this takes the jobs of seven people"

But you would need 7 robot maintenance, repair people at a higher rate of pay.

this takes the jobs of three people

Bit optimistic there aren't you. If you do the figures of machine working 24/7/365 and people doing 35/week then there needs to be a min of 5 people working. And that assumes the people work for every one of the 35 hours and is not sick or want holidays etc. etc.

So I would say "this takes the jobs of seven people"

But you would need 7 robot maintenance, repair people at a higher rate of pay.

Whichever answer Johnney receives first, he will disagree with and tell us the old book will reveal in a few years how very wrong we are.

this takes the jobs of three people

Bit optimistic there aren't you. If you do the figures of machine working 24/7/365 and people doing 35/week then there needs to be a min of 5 people working. And that assumes the people work for every one of the 35 hours and is not sick or want holidays etc. etc.

So I would say "this takes the jobs of seven people"

But you would need 7 robot maintenance, repair people at a higher rate of pay.

WinterKnight,
I was being conservative. But your right. Robots don't get sick, they don't get hangovers, they don't complain, they won't sue you if their parts break, and they don't want redundancy payment when your finished with them. In fact, when your finished with the robot, your can sell it on. And as you say, they work 24/7/365 and never back answer you.

So 1 robot does the work of many people. Why would anyone employ a human being? If you hire humans, your just drawing trouble on yourself.

John.

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this takes the jobs of three people

Bit optimistic there aren't you. If you do the figures of machine working 24/7/365 and people doing 35/week then there needs to be a min of 5 people working. And that assumes the people work for every one of the 35 hours and is not sick or want holidays etc. etc.

So I would say "this takes the jobs of seven people"

But you would need 7 robot maintenance, repair people at a higher rate of pay.

WinterKnight,
I was being conservative. But your right. Robots don't get sick, they don't get hangovers, they don't complain, they won't sue you if their parts break, and they don't want redundancy payment when your finished with them. In fact, when your finished with the robot, your can sell it on. And as you say, they work 24/7/365 and never back answer you.

So 1 robot does the work of many people. Why would anyone employ a human being? If you hire humans, your just drawing trouble on yourself.

John.

But it just causes management confusion not knowing whether the maintenance people should be idle or working.

They would not like to see people idle, but then would get panicy when the maintenance people were working because an idle robot would mean lack of output and a reduction in profits.

We have robots at work machineing parts 24/7 Thing is they tried to let the robots run unsupervised. The stupid thing didnt know when to make an offset so it would make many bad parts. They finally took the probes out and now we supervise the robot and make our own offsets.

From what I understand its a program issue. The company didnt want to spend the extra cash for the fully autonomus version.

Like others have said, Somebody has to keep an eye on them and fix them.

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Old James

Robots prevent carpal tunnel injuries. They save humans pain and suffering.

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It's been a complaint throughout history, Luddites, weavers complained about the jacquard loom, farm labourers complained about steam engines, etc etc.

It's been a complaint throughout history, Luddites, weavers complained about the jacquard loom, farm labourers complained about steam engines, etc etc.

I thought farm laborers complained about the short handled hoe?

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What we need is a machine that does the work of ten men but takes twelve men to operate it.

Just wait until machines reproduce themselves... Oh, wait.

Ok, that still takes much human intervention. But wait until they can reproduce by themselves in 100% entirety.

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#resist

What we need is a machine that does the work of ten men but takes twelve men to operate it.

Lol, next time you see some construction happening you will see just that.

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#resist

Just wait until machines reproduce themselves... Oh, wait.

Ok, that still takes much human intervention. But wait until they can reproduce by themselves in 100% entirety.

I wouldn't mind if they're anything like this.....

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But wait, isn't Romney a robot? <smile> -- Representative of bad code though.

Just a little more info.

Design World - Success in Industrial Robotics Seen Globally

Just a little more info.

Design World - Success in Industrial Robotics Seen Globally

The article says;
"In 2011, about 165,000 industrial robots were sold worldwide"

Those 165,000 robots probably put a million or more people out of work. And to be honest, i think its an underestimated figure. Many more functions in factories are being automated, removing the need for a person.

Machines themselves do the work of hundreds of people. One human man might hand-carve 20 little wooden toys in a day. But you can make a machine that will automatically produce 50,000 toys a day to feed the whole world with that particular toy. So one automated machine in China or South Korea can make thousands of people unemployed in hundreds of countries all over the world.

John.