How Amazon Triggered a Robot Arms Race
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How Amazon Triggered a Robot Arms Race
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Re: How Amazon Triggered a Robot Arms Race
#2Amazon's acquisition of Kiva is one of the best examples of vertical integration in the e-commerce industry.
The article reminded me of acquisitions in the Gilded Age. Perhaps one could compare Bezos to Rockefeller, presuming Bezos was the one who pushed for such purchases.
Re: How Amazon Triggered a Robot Arms Race
#3Interesting. I wonder if this system and that "Hover" technology would be a good fit? A warehouse seems like one of the good places to line the floor with metal and clear the people out.
Re: How Amazon Triggered a Robot Arms Race
#4Personally, I think it's a net benefit that the picking jobs are on their way out. I don't believe most people do it for fun!
On the other hand, there's going to be short term turmoil as people scramble to find new jobs in an increasingly automated world.
Re: How Amazon Triggered a Robot Arms Race
#5Amazon's acquisition of Kiva is one of the best examples of vertical integration in the e-commerce industry. The article reminded me of acquisitions in the Gilded Age. Perhaps one could compare Bezos to Rockefeller, presuming Bezos was the one who pushed for such purchases.
For anyone yet to read the article who is initially confused (as I was), besides the Kiva you might know from microlending, there's also a Kiva who make industrial robots for warehouses. As per the article, Amazon bought the latter Kiva and forced competitors to turn to alternatives that were yet to be developed.
Re: How Amazon Triggered a Robot Arms Race
#6Personally, I think it's a net benefit that the picking jobs are on their way out. I don't believe most people do it for fun! On the other hand, there's going to be short term turmoil as people scramble to find new jobs in an increasingly automated world.
I'd imagine that people who need such picking jobs would rather have them around than not.
Re: How Amazon Triggered a Robot Arms Race
#7Personally, I think it's a net benefit that the picking jobs are on their way out. I don't believe most people do it for fun! On the other hand, there's going to be short term turmoil as people scramble to find new jobs in an increasingly automated world.
I'd imagine that people who need such picking jobs would rather have them around than not.
Isn't that the point of UBI? Getting us past the local maxima of "this job is soul-crushing and a waste of a person's intelligence, but economics make it cheaper to use a body than a robot"?
Re: How Amazon Triggered a Robot Arms Race
#8I was reminded of how Dell originally pioneered extreme operational efficiency as the tool which made them hard to beat. I also particularly like the warehouse robotics application, it is a good mix of being able to make some adaptations in the environment to mitigate some of the more serious robotics challenges and yet able to effectively evaluate the net value to the business with and without.
Just wish I'd started a warehouse robot company 4 years ago :-)
Re: How Amazon Triggered a Robot Arms Race
#9Earlier quoted context omitted.
I'd imagine that people who need such picking jobs would rather have them around than not.
Isn't that the point of UBI? Getting us past the local maxima of "this job is soul-crushing and a waste of a person's intelligence, but economics make it cheaper to use a body than a robot"?
Fair. But a soul-crushing job is better than no job, and the question remains as to whether or not mobility into a job of equal requisite skill exists.
Re: How Amazon Triggered a Robot Arms Race
#10Earlier quoted context omitted.
I'd imagine that people who need such picking jobs would rather have them around than not.
Isn't that the point of UBI? Getting us past the local maxima of "this job is soul-crushing and a waste of a person's intelligence, but economics make it cheaper to use a body than a robot"?
I know many college graduates in their mid/late twenties doing various "knowledge" jobs. Many of them consider their jobs soul crushing.
Most people don't like their work. Most people don't like waking up on someone else's schedule and do work that their told to do. That's why businesses pay them, after all.