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What if garment workers were able to buy their own robotic sewing machines? Then we could have distributed labor and manufacturing and nobody would be out of a
by tcdent 11y ago
What if garment workers were able to buy their own robotic sewing machines? Then we could have distributed labor and manufacturing and nobody would be out of a job.
Services like Uber will likely work this way when automation hits; invest in a car and put it to work.
In any case, I'll take one!
- tcbawo 11y agoMargins will shrink to the point where economies of scale prevail. If garment workers tried this, it would probably not take long before they get priced out of business.
- nosuchthing 11y agoRaw production cost only factors in slightly, there certainly is room and customer demand for boutique designs and customization options of such designs.
- tcdent 11y agoToday, people shop for clothes that incidentally both fit them and match their style. You'd have infinite options for both.
- nosuchthing 11y agoInfrastructure... as a service! https://www.3dhubs.com/ https://www.3dhubs.com/ Open Source manufacturing equipment: http://openknit.org/build/ http://openknit.org/build/ http://github.com/g3rard/OpenKnit http://github.com/g3rard/OpenKnit http://instructables.com/id/Building-the-Open-Knit-machine http://instructables.com/id/Building-the-Open-Knit-machine OpenKnit is an open-source, low cost, digital fabrication tool that affords the user the opportunity to create their own bespoke clothing from digital files. Starting from the raw material, the yarn, and straight to its end use, a sweater for example, in about an hour. Designing and producing clothes digitally and wearing them can now happen in the very same place, rewarding the user with the ability to make decisions regarding creativity and responsibility.
- tcdent 11y agoThanks! I can't believe I hadn't seen this yet. I actually have a knitting machine, which works similarly, but haven't used it much. Short programs are way more appealing than counting pins by hand.
- hugh4 11y agoHow could the average garment worker afford a sewing robot?
- andrewflnr 11y agoFor starters, if garment workers had the resources to purchase a sewing robot, they wouldn't be garment workers. You're going to have logistics issues on par with all farming being replaced with home gardens. I think the more likely usage is amateur designers being able to produce their own designs. However, I'm pretty sure that's a very different demographic than the people currently working in garment factories.
- pjc50 11y agoIf people had access to capital, they'd be capitalists. And if my grandmother had wheels she'd be a wagon.