Foxconn Robots Could Replace Up To 1 Million Workers

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tolham

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not to ignore the need for jobs, but this kind of work really should be be done by robots. humans aren't meant to perform repetitive, monotonous tasks for hours on end every day. and the robots will need humans to maintain them.
 

Prey

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[citation][nom]WithoutWeakness[/nom]They can't jump off the roofs of they're bolted to the floor.[/citation]
They'll just inexplicably stop working...
 

greghome

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they certainly will not ask for pay increases and not complain about the environment they work in and the number of hours they are online.
Yeap......all the reasons people have been jumping off the buildings for.....
 

guess who

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"These robots do not immediately make financial sense as they apparently cost somewhere between $20,000 and $25,000 each and represent about three times the annual salary of an average worker at Foxconn - and this cost does not include running costs such as maintenance and power supply."

Pretty weak financial analysis. 4 or 5 years to get your capital back is pretty good. A more sophisticated analysis would use net present value, which Foxconn probably did.

My guess is that the investment does indeed make immediate financial sense.
 

DRosencraft

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[citation][nom]tolham[/nom]not to ignore the need for jobs, but this kind of work really should be be done by robots. humans aren't meant to perform repetitive, monotonous tasks for hours on end every day. and the robots will need humans to maintain them.[/citation]

I tend to disagree. You'll never have as many people to maintain these robots as they are replacing. And if you replace people with robots at all the repetitive, monotonous tasks, you pretty much eliminate all labor from the market. Yeah, robots can work longer, steadily, and create more output than a human, but at some point you'll eliminate so much of the need for labor that you won't have enough people earning a living to buy anything. One of the problems the US is facing now is the fact that with being forced to operate with fewer workers over the past few years, employers have realized they can actually operate with fewer workers. Despite what some people seem to think, companies aren't just gonna hire more people if they have more money. They now know they can get more with less, so they'll stick with that for as long as they can. Not calling the end of society and the age of robots, but just saying it's something to think about.
 

HenrikG

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It's stories like this that make me feel bad... since I'm an Automation Engineer. Granted, the automation that I do doesn't necessarily remove humans from the equation... I'd like to do some industrial robotics for the fun of it...
 

gzhang

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Robots frees us to do more interesting things, no one cries that farming works are taking over by machines. Now those works can maintain the machines, prefect and design better machines to server us. And gets paid more.
 

jisamaniac

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[citation][nom]DRosencraft[/nom]I tend to disagree. You'll never have as many people to maintain these robots as they are replacing. And if you replace people with robots at all the repetitive, monotonous tasks, you pretty much eliminate all labor from the market. Yeah, robots can work longer, steadily, and create more output than a human, but at some point you'll eliminate so much of the need for labor that you won't have enough people earning a living to buy anything. One of the problems the US is facing now is the fact that with being forced to operate with fewer workers over the past few years, employers have realized they can actually operate with fewer workers. Despite what some people seem to think, companies aren't just gonna hire more people if they have more money. They now know they can get more with less, so they'll stick with that for as long as they can. Not calling the end of society and the age of robots, but just saying it's something to think about.[/citation]

I think it is a good move on FoxConns part. In the end parts will be cheaper (wishful thinking), but with the elimination of low-end jobs, it will create a huge market for higher paying jobs to maintain these robots. Resulting higher skilled jobs for the next generation.
 
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I agree that if a robot can do a task the human should be doing something better. A human being reduced to mindless, repetitive tasks is a waste of potential.

That being said it is probably being used as a threat to keep their employes in line. It almost like they have a labor union with all of the B.S. but none of the security.
 

megahustler

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[citation][nom]WithoutWeakness[/nom]They can't jump off the roofs of they're bolted to the floor.[/citation]
You're right. I bet they could even use the same bolts they were going to use for the robots!
 

rantoc

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[citation][nom]jaber2[/nom]Yay for robots, they can take the abuse.[/citation]

Yeah they just form skynet and wipe out the human race for the abuse!
 

smuggl3r

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[citation][nom]WithoutWeakness[/nom]They can't jump off the roofs of they're bolted to the floor.[/citation]
They will self-destruct
 
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