73 ms·
I think this underestimates the incredible engineering of the human body. It runs at 100W, while retaining the ability to execute both very high torque actions
by ianbicking 6y ago
I think this underestimates the incredible engineering of the human body. It runs at 100W, while retaining the ability to execute both very high torque actions and fine motor actions, with self-healing grip, and an ability to engage increasing numbers of muscles and the weight of the machine itself to accomplish tasks.
One thing I didn't quite realized needed teaching until I taught my daughter: how do you tell when a screw is going in right? It might have resistance because of gunk or rust, or it might be misaligned. Determining the right action is incredibly sophisticated, the difference between the slight easing of resistance with old oil or the springiness when the threads are pushing against each other and deforming. In response you might draw out and try again, or push harder, all while still trying to feel out what's really happening. Automation is great for screws in factories.
We don't have anything on the horizon that has the physical flexibility and power of a human. To the degree we can reconfigure problems to match a robot's capabilities, then yes, automation may be inevitable. A lot of problems aren't like that.
- blacksmith_tb 6y agoAlong these lines, I still think Marshall Brain is likely to be proved correct, he predicted automation would instead replace middle management, and then direct unskilled labor in his novel Manna[1]. 1:http://marshallbrain.com/manna.htm http://marshallbrain.com/manna.htm
- krasin 6y agoManna is a very underrated story. And it's already happening to some degree: Uber/Lyft drivers don't have managers; they are being directed by a phone app.
- Digit-Al 6y agoTaxi apps don't replace middle managers, they replace dispatchers.
- clairity 6y agodispatchers are the middle managers. but i'm skeptical; it would be more convincing if GP/GGP provided some of the rationale for why middle managers would be automated away rather than simply referencing a book.
- blacksmith_tb 6y agoHa, to encourage more reading, naturally! But I'll bite, and flesh out the premise a little more - like the Uber example, in Manna the story begins with software being used to micromanage the employees in fast food joints, through their headsets. It tracks their locations, and walks them through the steps of doing any tasks it predicts will require attention wherever they happen to be - in the restroom? Does the trash need to be emptied y/n? If yes, step one, remove bag and tie closed... etc. Making robots capable of doing all those different tasks would be hard, but making a system to tell low-paid humans to do them is not so difficult.
- clairity 6y agook, i'm still skeptical then. dystopian novels typically feature (overt or covert) coercion centrally because it's required to force people to do things they'd not naturally do (the dystopian stuff). those kinds of jobs would have to be coercive in nature (desperation qualifies), and would be beyond the threshold of autonomy that most people will tolerate. most jobs, even those rigidly regulated, have enough latitude that workers can find some level of esteem in it, enough to create the intrinsic motivation to keep doing it. people wouldn't tolerate such jobs without extreme coercion, implying nothing less than a collapse of our democratic republic to achieve.
- t0mmel 6y agoWouldn’t a robot be capable of seeing and measuring if the screw is misaligned? There are more than one way to ensure that a screw goes in correctly. You are compensating for your inaccuracy by using sense of touch and kinaesthetic sense