Burger Flipping Robot Named "Flippy"

[suncowiam]

I wasn't suggesting that we try to halt or slow the development and implementation of tech. It's all an inevitability anyway whether we like it or not. I'm just wondering about potential growing pains, that's all.

I imagine several generations will be hurt by this but in the long run I do think humans will get closer to a Utopian society because of AI and automation.

 

[Father Heathen]

I imagine several generations will be hurt by this.

As well as businesses that relied upon their patronage.

 

[suncowiam]

As well as businesses that relied upon their patronage.

I know what you're suggesting but ultimately I can't say.

Economics being a social science can be hard to predict.

I guess there's a fine line between utopia and dystopia... [Edited] You know what, I'll take that back. Pretty stupid to suggest that there's a similarity between the two. I'll have to think about it a bit more...

 

[Twilight Hue]

The future is here: A robot named Flippy will cook your food at CaliBurger – Pasadena Star News

CaliBurger has robot flipping burgers at Pasadena restaurant



This seems to be a growing trend towards automation, as the article predicts that "400 million to 800 million people worldwide could be displaced by automation and the need to find new jobs by 2030."

I'm not even sure if it would just be limited to unskilled jobs with repetitive motion. It seems conceivable that just about any and every job could be replaced by AI: Teachers, doctors, engineers, programmers, lawyers, politicians, used car salesmen. Humans could become totally superfluous.

This could be your next boss:

Does flippy demand $15 an hour to flip a burger?

 

[Stevicus]

Does flippy demand $15 an hour to flip a burger?

No, but he probably needs an oil change every 3000 burgers.

 

[Curious George]

Growing trend? This has been happening since the industrial revolution - replacing sustainable, appropriate technology with energy-intensive and superfluous alternatives (all without much heed to the consequences).

Flippy is actually less energy intensive than an employee.
Sure, the employee doesn't plug into an electrical outlet,
but each has a large energy footprint outside the workplace
just to survive. When Flippy finishes his workday, he uses
no energy at all.

What would the consequences be if we remained at the 18th
century level of technology?

I wonder if there is a way to explore this question.

And which if either is more sustainable.

 

[Revoltingest]

I wonder if there is a way to explore this question.

And which if either is more sustainable.

Flippy:
It takes energy to make him, but this is a one time expenditure.
He'd take very little electricity to run.

Here's the worker....

Let's call him Jimmy.

Jimmy:
It took more energy to raise him from an infant to 16 years old than to build Flippy.
He uses little electricity on the job, but the other 16 hours a day he consumes much more than Flippy.

The employer's energy footprint is reduced with Flippy.
Society's energy footprint due to Jimmy is arguable, depending upon....
- Does Flippy disincentivize the making of more Jimmys?
- Can Jimmy do something useful elsewhere?
- If Jimmin becomes unemployed, & a ward of the state, will his energy usage decrease due to poverty?

 

[Stevicus]

If by "particular demographic" you mean roughly half of the population, if not more. We're not just talking fast food, but manual labor in general is becoming automated. I love how technology is developing and advancing, but I do wonder about the economical ramifications if it outpaces how society transitions and adapts to it.

I don't think it's just manual labor which can be automated. Flippy is still somewhat limited in what it can do, since it still needs human workers to do the prep and finishing work. It can't make a complete burger from start to finish. But I expect that will change in years to come.

But with automated vehicles coming on the scene, jobs which entail driving may fall by the wayside. Truck drivers, delivery drivers, taxi drivers - they'll be replaced someday. Bank tellers, store clerks, retail - a lot of service jobs could conceivably be gone as well. Buying clothes may look something like this in the future:

Could AI become advanced enough to even replace jobs like plumber, carpenter, electrician, mechanic - or even that of engineers, doctors, lawyers? That's what I would wonder about, since it appears that it could be more than just manual labor jobs which are lost.

 

[Twilight Hue]

I don't think it's just manual labor which can be automated. Flippy is still somewhat limited in what it can do, since it still needs human workers to do the prep and finishing work. It can't make a complete burger from start to finish. But I expect that will change in years to come.

But with automated vehicles coming on the scene, jobs which entail driving may fall by the wayside. Truck drivers, delivery drivers, taxi drivers - they'll be replaced someday. Bank tellers, store clerks, retail - a lot of service jobs could conceivably be gone as well. Buying clothes may look something like this in the future:

Could AI become advanced enough to even replace jobs like plumber, carpenter, electrician, mechanic - or even that of engineers, doctors, lawyers? That's what I would wonder about, since it appears that it could be more than just manual labor jobs which are lost.

I'm not worried about driving jobs. The machines will never be able to navigate heavy weather conditions and rural roads with little or no markings. Not to mention solar flares which can easily disrupt electronic apparatus. The technology is still very rudimentary.

 

[Stevicus]

I'm not worried about driving jobs. The machines will never be able to navigate heavy weather conditions and rural roads with little or no markings. Not to mention solar flares which can easily disrupt electronic apparatus. The technology is still very rudimentary.

Yeah, I suppose it will be years or decades before they become more widely used.

Another thing that comes to mind, in relation to AI, is how often I'm dealing with some business or organization and hearing them say "oh, our system is down at the moment" or it's running very slow. It eventually comes back up and works most of the time, but if that sort of thing happens with traffic, it could be quite a mess.

 

[Twilight Hue]

Yeah, I suppose it will be years or decades before they become more widely used.

Another thing that comes to mind, in relation to AI, is how often I'm dealing with some business or organization and hearing them say "oh, our system is down at the moment" or it's running very slow. It eventually comes back up and works most of the time, but if that sort of thing happens with traffic, it could be quite a mess.

I remember all the mishaps with Google's driverless cars a bit ago. Needless to say their cars are manned to take over in a bind.

 

[josip123]

And here's Octobot
So cute.

 

[Quintessence]

Oh right. Robots are killing this planet. Even as a human, I know that's a bit exaggerated.

Not what I said. Not sure where this came from.

The consequences are simple to equate: A reliable service for a reliable price. Everything else is just fear and speculation.

Yes, that so many think it's this simple is precisely why events have run the course they have. In spite of technically having the ability for foresight, humans by and large don't bother using it. We're wired to look at the short-term, the immediate, and the obvious. I doubt that the inventors of the 18th century thought they'd be kicking off a series of events leading to global-scale climatic and ecosystem shifts. We do know better now, and arguably have an imperative to act in a way that takes into account this knowledge.

It surprises me how anti-technology you are and yet you use much of the same technology or technology from the same root.

Look up "appropriate technology." Wikipedia has an article. You must be unfamiliar with it if you mistake advocating appropriate technology as "anti-technology."

In simple terms, appropriate technology looks for sensible and sustainable usages of technology. It's not that a burger-flipping robot can't be utilized, but it needs to be utilized in a way that is environmentally-sensitive. As a general rule, though, this isn't how the Untied States operates, which is why I view the entire idea as superfluous. If they pitch it as a 'zero emission' product that runs solely off a bank of solar panels on the roof of the business, it becomes more in line with appropriate tech philosophies.

 

[suncowiam]

Not what I said. Not sure where this came from.



Yes, that so many think it's this simple is precisely why events have run the course they have. In spite of technically having the ability for foresight, humans by and large don't bother using it. We're wired to look at the short-term, the immediate, and the obvious. I doubt that the inventors of the 18th century thought they'd be kicking off a series of events leading to global-scale climatic and ecosystem shifts. We do know better now, and arguably have an imperative to act in a way that takes into account this knowledge.



Look up "appropriate technology." Wikipedia has an article. You must be unfamiliar with it if you mistake advocating appropriate technology as "anti-technology."

In simple terms, appropriate technology looks for sensible and sustainable usages of technology. It's not that a burger-flipping robot can't be utilized, but it needs to be utilized in a way that is environmentally-sensitive. As a general rule, though, this isn't how the Untied States operates, which is why I view the entire idea as superfluous. If they pitch it as a 'zero emission' product that runs solely off a bank of solar panels on the roof of the business, it becomes more in line with appropriate tech philosophies.

With the first section, I think you just summarized that things change in time. Not sure how else to respond there.

Ok, so help me understand why you think a burger flipping machine is non-appropriate? Your first assumption of energy foot print was debated by Revoltingest which I do agree with. What else are you thinking here? What could be so harmful with a burger flipping machine?

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

Does flippy demand $15 an hour to flip a burger?

No, but his owners do.