Samsung Commissioned To Build Robots That Undercut Human Worker Costs For Skilled Tasks
Maybe we should cease development of artificial intelligence. Why? View it as a precautionary measure for the day when robots completely replace humans in the workforce. Think about it, do we really want to be bound by mechanical overlords who might one day decide we're more trouble than we're worth?
Sounds crazy now, but check back in 100 years to see where things are at. But first things first, robots have to increase their ranks, and Samsung is going to help them do that. With 6.75 billion won (around $14.8 million in U.S. currency) in funding from South Korea's Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy, Samsung will develop robots capable of handling jobs that currently require fleshy human digits.
What a staff picture from the future might look like
South Korea's goal is to gain manufacturing contracts that currently go to China. Places like Foxconn (Hon Hai Precision) build all kinds of electronic devices for companies like Apple, Dell, HP, and so forth, but if robot workers in South Korea could maintain the same level of quality while lowering costs, it's not inconceivable that contracts would shift to the region.
Like it or not, this is the future we're headed towards. Even Foxconn was said to have replaced a number of human workers with robots called "Foxbots" to assemble iPhone 6 devices, so this isn't something that only South Korea is looking at.
There could be big money in the development of these bots. While robots don't get sick or take vacations, they do break down and have other shortcomings, all of which people workers are trying to solve. For example, a group of French and American scientists recently reported success developing software that allows damaged robots to assess their condition and adapt as necessary to prevent further deterioration.
Sounds crazy now, but check back in 100 years to see where things are at. But first things first, robots have to increase their ranks, and Samsung is going to help them do that. With 6.75 billion won (around $14.8 million in U.S. currency) in funding from South Korea's Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy, Samsung will develop robots capable of handling jobs that currently require fleshy human digits.
What a staff picture from the future might look like
South Korea's goal is to gain manufacturing contracts that currently go to China. Places like Foxconn (Hon Hai Precision) build all kinds of electronic devices for companies like Apple, Dell, HP, and so forth, but if robot workers in South Korea could maintain the same level of quality while lowering costs, it's not inconceivable that contracts would shift to the region.
Like it or not, this is the future we're headed towards. Even Foxconn was said to have replaced a number of human workers with robots called "Foxbots" to assemble iPhone 6 devices, so this isn't something that only South Korea is looking at.
There could be big money in the development of these bots. While robots don't get sick or take vacations, they do break down and have other shortcomings, all of which people workers are trying to solve. For example, a group of French and American scientists recently reported success developing software that allows damaged robots to assess their condition and adapt as necessary to prevent further deterioration.
