Robo-Sabotage Is Surprisingly Common
By Matt Beane for MIT Technology Review: I think perhaps there’s something else at work here. Beyond building robots to increase productivity and do dangerous, dehumanizing tasks, we have made the technology into a potent symbol of sweeping change in the labor market, increased inequality, and recently the displacement of workers. If we replace the word “robot” with “machine,” this has happened in cycles extending well back through the Industrial Revolution. Holders of capital invest in machinery to increase production because they get a better return, and then many people, including some journalists, academics, and workers cry foul, pointing to the machinery as destroying jobs. Amidst the uproar, eventually there are a few reports of people angrily breaking the machines.
Two years ago, I did an observational study of semiautonomous mobile delivery robots at three different hospitals. I went in looking for how using the robots changed the way work got done, but I found out that beyond increasing productivity through delivery work, the robots were kept around as a symbol of how progressive the hospitals were, and that when people who’d been doing similar delivery jobs at the hospitals quit, their positions weren’t filled. Cont'd...
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DENSO Offers New Guide to Buying Small Assembly Robots
- Free Resource Helps Buyers Assess the True Cost of Ownership for the Best Value -
iRobot receives $9.8 million order for Small Unmanned Ground Vehicles (SUGV)
iRobot has delivered more than 5,000 of its defense and security robots to military and civil defense forces worldwide.
Kickstarter - Steady Shot Bot Launches Kickstarter Campaign to Empower New Generation of Photographer Superheroes
The Steady Shot Bot launched a Kickstarter campaign, and it may be the last tool needed for Time lapse and Steadicam work... but only if photographers support it.
George Brown College Launches a New Online Program: Automation Technician
New program offers flexible, introductory training in automation technology for manufacturing
Hendrix Consulting Group Granted FAA Section 333 Exemption to Operate UAS
The Federal Aviation Administration Grants Section 333 Exemption Status and a Certificate of Authorization to Hendrix Consulting Group, an aerial imaging solutions company.
DJI Releases Photography and Video Drone Designed for Beginner Pilots
DJI Phantom 3 Standard makes aerial imaging more accessible than ever before
-- Includes intelligent flight functions that make cinematic shots easy to capture
-- Integrated HD camera records video up to 2.7k
-- Available for purchase today at US$799
Carnegie Mellon University Spinoff Ottomatika Acquired by Delphi
Company Builds on University Strengths in Pioneering Autonomous Vehicle Research
NYU School of Engineering Professor Honored for Study of Energy Expenditure in Robotic Systems
American Society of Mechanical Engineers Selects Joo H. Kim for the 2015 Freudenstein / General Motors Young Investigator Award
NYU School of Engineering Professor Honored for Study of Energy Expenditure in Robotic Systems
American Society of Mechanical Engineers Selects Joo H. Kim for the 2015 Freudenstein / General Motors Young Investigator Award
Foxconn Seeks Manufacturing Sites in India
SEAN MCLAIN for WSJ.com: Foxconn became the latest global giant to declare its intention to tap into India’s budding manufacturing potential.
The company is looking for manufacturing sites in India. So far it hasn’t been able to settle on any in particular, Foxconn Chairman Terry Gou told a news conference in New Delhi.
“India is a big, big country. Too many places, too many states, too many cities. The choice is difficult,” he said.
Foxconn is the world’s largest contract electronics manufacturer by revenue. The Taiwanese company—known officially as Hon Hai Precision Industry Co.—is looking to tap India’s massive labor pool and has big ambitions for its Indian investments. It has long-term plans for Asia’s third-largest economy and hopes to do more in India than simply assemble smartphones and laptops. “We want to bring the whole supply chain here,” Mr. Gou said.
Analysts say Foxconn is looking to diversify its global network of factories as the company faces more competition and rising wages in China, where it has most of its manufacturing operations. Cont'd...
Myth Busting: Greater Manufacturing Automation Doesn't Mean Fewer Jobs
When it comes to addressing manufacturing labor challenges, companies shouldnt be quick to assume that job opportunities will decrease as a result of an increase in automated systems.
Nachi Continues to Expand the World's Fastest & Lightest Compact Robot Series
Nachi announces the Global Launch of the World's Fastest and Lightest Compact Robot (MZ04), the Safe Robot Version (MZ04E) and the Extended Reach Model (MZ03L).
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