Results 1 to 6 of 6

Thread: automation takes another handspring forward ...

  1. #1
    Banned Melonie's Avatar
    Joined
    Jul 2002
    Location
    way south of the border
    Posts
    25,932
    Thanks
    612
    Thanked 10,563 Times in 4,646 Posts
    Blog Entries
    3
    My Mood
    Cynical

    Default automation takes another handspring forward ...

    ... latest entry regarding automation making inroads into 'professional' jobs ... from


    (snip)Visitors to the inaugural Consumer Electronics Show (CES) Asia in Shanghai on Monday were cooked food by a robotic kitchen, the first of its kind according to its creators.

    Designed by London-based Moley Robotics, the automated kitchen consists of two large robotic arms which can construct dishes based on an iTunes-like library of recipes. The arms were designed by the Shadow Robot company, which also provides technologies to NASA, and consist of 20 motors, 24 joints and 129 sensors allowing them to mimic the movements and dexterity of human hands.

    Chef Tim Anderson, a former winner of the BBC's Masterchef competition, acted as a recipe consultant, developing the crab bisque dish that was served to visitors at CES Asia.

    “I chose crab bisque as a dish because it’s a real challenge for human chef to make well, never mind a machine," Anderson said.

    "If it can cook a bisque, it can do stir-fries and we’re looking forward to teaching it many more recipes in the months to come.”





    On display at the conference was full-scale reproduction of Moley's mass-market device, designed to fit in regular kitchens and featuring smaller control arms and dishwashing functionality.

    The device - still a prototype for now - is expected to go on sale in 2017, with a library of more than 2,000 dishes.

    The robotic kitchen can cook any dish that the chef is able to create as it simply replicates what a human does, said Moley founder and chief executive Mark Oleynik.

    “For that reason there is no limit on the amount of recipes,” he said.

    More work has to be done on the development of the robotic hand technology and the accompanying kitchen equipment before it can hit the market, he said.

    The product on display included a fully equipped kitchen, though there will also be the choice to have the robot integrated into an existing kitchen, he said.

    “Some Chinese recipes may require additional equipment, such as a rice steamer, for example. Whatever equipment the chef has used, the robot should also have one. The kitchen robot is able to work with any additional equipment required for the preparation of the dish,” he said.(snip)


    Unlike earlier automation applications which have eliminated 'unskilled' human worker jobs, the robot chef is part of a new generation of automation which seeks to replace 'skilled' human workers. A previously cited example was automatic prescription drug dispensing machines which allows a single pharmacist to effectively fill prescriptions at several different locations at the same time. The Robot Chef follows along similar lines in that effectively allows one 'skilled' human chef to cook several dishes at once.

    Proponents obviously point to the fact that this new generation of automation technology makes 'professional' workers 3 times more productive. Detractors obviously point out the fact that if a 'professional' pharmacist, 'professional' chef, etc. are 3 times more productive thanks to this new technology, employers will only need to hire 1/3rd as many human 'professionals'.

    How much did you say tuition cost at that culinary school ?
    Last edited by Melonie; 05-26-2015 at 03:23 PM.

  2. #2
    God/dess miss.a.p1600's Avatar
    Joined
    Jul 2012
    Posts
    16,438
    Thanks
    47,039
    Thanked 34,922 Times in 12,869 Posts
    My Mood
    Aggressive

    Default Re: automation takes another handspring forward ...

    Hell YES! I'd buy this hands down....I always wanted a personal chef but a cooking / cleaning robot arms is much better in my opinion. I wonder how much something like this costs.
    “Cook for him like a housewife, fuck him good like a nympho….pay the rent and the car note, he invests in me like crypto”

  3. #3
    God/dess Jay12's Avatar
    Joined
    Sep 2010
    Location
    Hill country.
    Posts
    2,926
    Thanks
    1,653
    Thanked 1,896 Times in 955 Posts
    My Mood
    Stressed

    Default Re: automation takes another handspring forward ...

    Still, these robots will not replace humans entirely; they won't be able to replicate the human taste preferences completely.





  4. #4
    Banned Melonie's Avatar
    Joined
    Jul 2002
    Location
    way south of the border
    Posts
    25,932
    Thanks
    612
    Thanked 10,563 Times in 4,646 Posts
    Blog Entries
    3
    My Mood
    Cynical

    Default Re: automation takes another handspring forward ...

    these robots will not replace humans entirely; they won't be able to replicate the human taste preferences completely.
    True enough. However, on the flip side, the robot chefs can replicate a master chef's cooking techniques exactly, which isn't the case for human chefs / line cooks. Thus the 'quality' of the end product should be comparable if not superior to a conventional restaurant kitchen setup.

    I can envision a new restaurant with a half dozen of these robot chefs lined up ... one 'professional' master chef to tweak recipes and select / buy ingredients ... and a few near minimum wage kitchen helpers to key customer orders into the robot chefs, fill up the robot chefs' ingredients containers, load dishwashers, etc.


    I wonder how much something like this costs.
    The entire system hasn't been finalized, and is not on the market yet. However, commercially available robotic arms are already available at a cost in the $50k ballpark. So two arms, plus the application specific kitchen setup, maybe $200k once they can be produced in quantity.

    From the standpoint of a restaurant owner, though, spending $1 million on a half dozen robot chefs would come with a price tag of something like $120k per year in payments on a 10 year loan. In exchange, that restaurant owner can avoid paying salaries and also avoid paying insurance premiums, social security taxes, and benefit costs for the half dozen chefs / line cooks who are no longer necessary.


    Last edited by Melonie; 05-27-2015 at 04:33 AM.

  5. #5
    Banned Melonie's Avatar
    Joined
    Jul 2002
    Location
    way south of the border
    Posts
    25,932
    Thanks
    612
    Thanked 10,563 Times in 4,646 Posts
    Blog Entries
    3
    My Mood
    Cynical

    Default Re: automation takes another handspring forward ...

    by 'pure coincidence' , PBS just released a major report on this very topic ... from .

    However, their focus was directed towards the elimination of 'white collar' jobs for pharmacists, attorneys and journalists.

    I would add that the PBS report also raises the famous tome ... don't worry about such technologically driven job losses, because new jobs will appear to replace the jobs which were lost. While that might be true in absolute terms, it is highly doubtful that the replacement jobs will carry anywhere near the pay rates / working conditions of the jobs which were lost to automation.



  6. #6
    Banned Melonie's Avatar
    Joined
    Jul 2002
    Location
    way south of the border
    Posts
    25,932
    Thanks
    612
    Thanked 10,563 Times in 4,646 Posts
    Blog Entries
    3
    My Mood
    Cynical

    Default Re: automation takes another handspring forward ...

    and the 'hits just keep on coming' ... from


    (snip)A number of articles now circulating are all based on a 2013 study The Future of Employment: How Susceptible are Jobs to Computerization?.

    It's interesting that the 2013 report is now seeing the light of day in various places just this week. The best of the lot is the NPR Planet Money report Will Your Job Be Done By A Machine?

    The article lets you select from two drop boxes, the first is job field, the second is a specific job within that field.

    Here are some random results

    •Cartographers and Photogrammetrists: 87.9%
    •Electrical Drafters: 80.8%
    •Umpires and Referees: 98.3%
    •Technical Writers: 88.8%
    •Translators: 38.4%
    •Tax Preparers: 98.7%
    •Accountants and Auditors: 93.5%
    •Credit Counselors: 4.0%
    •Editors: 5.5%
    •Maids and Housekeepers: 68.8%
    •Janitors: 66.3%
    •Computer Programmers: 48.1%
    •Actuaries: 20.6%
    •Computer Systems Analysts: 0.6%
    •Roofers: 89.7%
    •Rail Track Laying: 89.1%
    •Carpenters: 72.4%
    •Paralegals: 94.5%
    •Court Reporters: 50.2%
    •Timing Device Assemblers: 98.5%
    •Packaging: 98.0%
    •Bakers: 88.8%
    •Jewelers: 95.5%
    •Optometrists: 13.7%
    •Dentists: 0.4%
    •Occupational Therapists: 0.3%
    •Telemarketers: 99.0%
    •Fashion Models 97.6%
    •Cashiers: 97.1%
    •Insurance Agents: 91.9%
    •Librarians: 64%
    •College Professors: 3.2%

    I disagree with some of those. For example, there is absolutely no need for relics like librarians as libraries will become extinct.

    Paralegal jobs are already vanishing rapidly as are packaging jobs. Telemarketing has already been replaced by auto-dialers that say "Hi this is heather, your account specialist".

    I fail to see why we need court reporters. And why can't actuaries be replaced by a computer model?

    On the positive side, I have better hopes for janitors than the study. And while baseball umpires may vanish, football referees won't. I highly doubt maid services and home cleaning will go away, but those will be low paying jobs.

    I could not find categories for truck and taxi drivers, two fields that will shed millions of jobs over the next decade.

    It's easy to quibble with individual assessments. Yet, the overall picture is clearly quite grim for numerous occupations.(snip)


    Personally speaking, I would love to see more detail regarding the basis for assigning 'fashion models' a 97% probability of being replaced by 'computerization' in the future. At this point, I can only assume that ... like the movie 'Simone' ... this is based on a forecast that CGI technology will soon leave the 'rarefied' realm of special effects production companies using supercomputers and descend to average businesses.
    Last edited by Melonie; 05-31-2015 at 03:24 PM.

Similar Threads

  1. Replies: 24
    Last Post: 02-24-2014, 09:57 PM
  2. Do you look forward to death?
    By BlackSheEp3 in forum The Lounge
    Replies: 29
    Last Post: 06-25-2013, 11:56 AM
  3. Customer you most look forward to seeing
    By daredevil in forum Customer Conversation
    Replies: 7
    Last Post: 08-20-2006, 02:19 AM

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •