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I just spotted this breathtaking video on YouTube which was posted 9 days ago and wanted to share my thoughts on it.
I think if any tech industry will rule the world with robots, it's going to be the car manufacturing industry. Tesla has already proven that with the Optimus humanoid robot and now BMW has decided to start using robots, not from Tesla but from Figure AI, Inc.
I also took a screenshot of a comment made by a viewer who watched the video.
I think I share the exact same feeling with whoever made this comment. Watching the robot do a job that only a person could do is both interesting and scary at the same time. The scary aspect is because we're realizing that most of what we call work will no longer be available to us and that means, unemployment rate will skyrocket if no one does anything about it.
If I have to be optimistic about this, I would say, efficiency, productivity and speed of manufacturing is going to hit a whole different level. That means a better world is on the horizon, but is it going to be better for everyone or just those with a lot of cash already?
The robot is called Figure 02 robot and watching it do the metal placement thing would almost give you goosebumps. It looks perfect, it works with such precision and it doesn't blink.
We used to talk about the positive impact of this technology but seeing it practically, it's just wonderful, a sight to behold.
They are able to pull the sheet metal from the shelves, slot parts into place without fumbling like a new sheet metal worker would. So basically you could have a new employee robot and it's working as if it's already had 30 years of experience.
The robot doesn't need to go to the gym to be able to lift a 25Kg piece like it's nothing. There's no cigarette breaks, no talking back at the manager, no asking for a pay raise or a vacation, no sore backs and injuries where the company has to pay for medical bills.
I remember helping a mechanic fix my dad's Nissan Altima years ago and after we were through with the work, my hand was all greasy, the whole place was messed up with tools everywhere and I have to tell you, there was a lot of guessing and improvising.
Of course that’s a memory you can’t code into a circuit. You can't teach a robot the feeling of getting it wrong five times before getting it beautifully right, but remember, this ain't about nostalgia, it's about business, profits and maximizing revenue and these robots can do it better than anyone.
You think China is a place of hard workers and cheap labor? Well any company with these bots is going to one up that.
The Figure 02 bot has got backing from a lot of the tech titans and BMW clearly isn’t testing the waters anymore, they have decided to start using the products. They say more robots means smarter robots. What happens when the factory floor doesn’t need hands like yours and mine anymore?
You'll have a completely different feeling when you step into a factory. There's less talking and more machine movement sounds. There's no lunchtime activity where you talk with your coworkers, it's probably going to be a time for the robots to get their chargers.
Perhaps they'll get charged and serviced at break times but you can be sure they'll outwork humans. The only people I get sad for are those that enjoy the art of working on the metals and other things robots are going to replace.
Just like the Ghibli story where Chatgpt can now generate an art which would take someone days to create, robots are taking over the workmanship.
We need to start adapting quickly or we may get left behind.
