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Walmart set to roll out ‘autonomous' janitors

homersapien

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Walmart announced on Monday that it plans to deploy 360 autonomous custodial robots by the end of January that will mop the floors of some of its stores.The retailer said in a joint statement with developer Brain Corp. that the machines will be able to scrub floors even with customers around. The robots will feature multiple sensors that allow them to scan for people and obstacles.

"BrainOS technology allows robots to effectively and safely function in complex, crowded environments, ensuring increased productivity and efficiency across applications," Brain Corp. CEO Eugene Izhikevich said in a statement. "We look forward to continuing to work alongside Walmart to help build intelligent, connected stores."Bloomberg first reported on the announcement. The devices resemble a miniature Zamboni, the machine used to resurface ice at ice-skating rinks, and a motorized wheelchair, the news outlet said, and are already in use at airports in Seattle, Boston and Miami.Bloomberg reported that Walmart has previously dipped into the robot market by using automated devices to scan shelves, move products and check inventory.


https://thehill.com/policy/technology/419409-walmart-to-roll-out-autonomous-janitors


So much for that $15 minimum wage for unskilled labor. Just one more thing that liberals missed the mark on.
 
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Walmart announced on Monday that it plans to deploy 360 autonomous custodial robots by the end of January that will mop the floors of some of its stores.The retailer said in a joint statement with developer Brain Corp. that the machines will be able to scrub floors even with customers around. The robots will feature multiple sensors that allow them to scan for people and obstacles.

"BrainOS technology allows robots to effectively and safely function in complex, crowded environments, ensuring increased productivity and efficiency across applications," Brain Corp. CEO Eugene Izhikevich said in a statement. "We look forward to continuing to work alongside Walmart to help build intelligent, connected stores."Bloomberg first reported on the announcement. The devices resemble a miniature Zamboni, the machine used to resurface ice at ice-skating rinks, and a motorized wheelchair, the news outlet said, and are already in use at airports in Seattle, Boston and Miami.Bloomberg reported that Walmart has previously dipped into the robot market by using automated devices to scan shelves, move products and check inventory.


https://thehill.com/policy/technolog...omous-janitors




So much for that $15 minimum wage for unskilled labor. Just one more thing that liberals missed the mark on.

If your boss could replace you with a machine he or she would.Heck if your boss could he would pay someone in China pennies on the dollar to do your job if that person could remote control a robot here to do your job. So you can shove this ha ha how dare poor people ask for more money for the hard work they do bs. Everyone's job will be replaced by a machine or some person working by remote overseas one day.
 
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Walmart announced on Monday that it plans to deploy 360 autonomous custodial robots by the end of January that will mop the floors of some of its stores.The retailer said in a joint statement with developer Brain Corp. that the machines will be able to scrub floors even with customers around. The robots will feature multiple sensors that allow them to scan for people and obstacles.

"BrainOS technology allows robots to effectively and safely function in complex, crowded environments, ensuring increased productivity and efficiency across applications," Brain Corp. CEO Eugene Izhikevich said in a statement. "We look forward to continuing to work alongside Walmart to help build intelligent, connected stores."Bloomberg first reported on the announcement. The devices resemble a miniature Zamboni, the machine used to resurface ice at ice-skating rinks, and a motorized wheelchair, the news outlet said, and are already in use at airports in Seattle, Boston and Miami.Bloomberg reported that Walmart has previously dipped into the robot market by using automated devices to scan shelves, move products and check inventory.


https://thehill.com/policy/technolog...omous-janitors




So much for that $15 minimum wage for unskilled labor. Just one more thing that liberals missed the mark on.

This is technology that would come out regardless of what the minimum wage is. Just one more thing partisan hacks missed the mark on.
 
This is technology that would come out regardless of what the minimum wage is. Just one more thing partisan hacks missed the mark on.

You are wrong. Companies like Walmart are more interested in automated technologies because it is not worth it to pay someone $15 to sweep a floor.

Just one more thing that liberals hacks do not understand.
 
You are wrong. Companies like Walmart are more interested in automated technologies because it is not worth it to pay someone $15 to sweep a floor.

Just one more thing that liberals hacks do not understand.

It might affect the timeline of it rolling out, but even if the minimum wage is lowered this will still happen. As the technology improves and becomes cheaper even low wage employees doing the job isn’t worth it.

Capitalism is awesome. Artificial intelligence is awesome. But eventually the two won’t be compatible.
 
This is technology that would come out regardless of what the minimum wage is. Just one more thing partisan hacks missed the mark on.

There is definitely a correlation between the cost and the incentive.... that much is obvious...

Will the technology inevitably out-compete human labor in cost? Probably... but that line does not have to be met now.... unless you force it too.

I'm skeptical this will even work out for walmart anyway. They can't fix their damn escalator that breaks on a weekly basis let alone automatic robots xD. And they'll have to call an engineer every single time it breaks... This is experimentation.
 
It might affect the timeline of it rolling out, but even if the minimum wage is lowered this will still happen. As the technology improves and becomes cheaper even low wage employees doing the job isn’t worth it.

Capitalism is awesome. Artificial intelligence is awesome. But eventually the two won’t be compatible.




Yeah, AI will be great for humanity. LOL
 
This is technology that would come out regardless of what the minimum wage is. Just one more thing partisan hacks missed the mark on.
Well, the technology would definitely come out - sounds like a Roomba on steroids. But adoption is a more of a business decision, e.g. how long would it take to make back the wages and benefits I have to pay human moppers to make up the cost to buy and maintain a robo-mopper. The higher the wage the shorter the recovery and the easier the decision.
 


Yeah, AI will be great for humanity. LOL


That is certainly one way it could go. Maybe along with a superior intelligence we can give it a superior system of ethics as well. What I think is likely in the long run is we will just keep augmenting ourselves until WE are the artificial intelligence that replaces humans.
 
Walmart announced on Monday that it plans to deploy 360 autonomous custodial robots by the end of January that will mop the floors of some of its stores.The retailer said in a joint statement with developer Brain Corp. that the machines will be able to scrub floors even with customers around. The robots will feature multiple sensors that allow them to scan for people and obstacles.

"BrainOS technology allows robots to effectively and safely function in complex, crowded environments, ensuring increased productivity and efficiency across applications," Brain Corp. CEO Eugene Izhikevich said in a statement. "We look forward to continuing to work alongside Walmart to help build intelligent, connected stores."Bloomberg first reported on the announcement. The devices resemble a miniature Zamboni, the machine used to resurface ice at ice-skating rinks, and a motorized wheelchair, the news outlet said, and are already in use at airports in Seattle, Boston and Miami.Bloomberg reported that Walmart has previously dipped into the robot market by using automated devices to scan shelves, move products and check inventory.


https://thehill.com/policy/technolog...omous-janitors




So much for that $15 minimum wage for unskilled labor. Just one more thing that liberals missed the mark on.

This is good for many reasons, including the fact it may force Wal-Mart to stop cluttering the middle of the isles with crappy displays.
 
Well, the technology would definitely come out - sounds like a Roomba on steroids. But adoption is a more of a business decision, e.g. how long would it take to make back the wages and benefits I have to pay human moppers to make up the cost to buy and maintain a robo-mopper. The higher the wage the shorter the recovery and the easier the decision.

Another consideration is the quality (and speed) of the job that a low wage worker performs vs. that of the automated system or robot. I've seen some very poorly maintained floors when left up to low wage workers to perform that (collateral?) duty. Many seem to take the attitude of - if the boss pretends to pay me well then I'll pretend to work well. ;)
 
Another consideration is the quality (and speed) of the job that a low wage worker performs vs. that of the automated system or robot. I've seen some very poorly maintained floors when left up to low wage workers to perform that (collateral?) duty. Many seem to take the attitude of - if the boss pretends to pay me well then I'll pretend to work well. ;)

And if someone breaks the machine, the machine wont sue
 
You are wrong. Companies like Walmart are more interested in automated technologies because it is not worth it to pay someone $15 to sweep a floor.

Just one more thing that liberals hacks do not understand.

Addressing this problem in an illegitimately simplified and partisan manner is what conservative hacks do.

Just take your own dumb example. The fact is that janitor in Walmart is probably already getting $15 an hour in wages, benefits, and government subsidies, because that's what it takes to live, eat, have shelter, get healthcare. So it's not whether that person gets $15 an hour but largely who is going to pay it - Walmart, or Walmart paying a portion, with taxpayers picking up the rest.

We've already lost millions of jobs overseas because it's not worth it for a clothing maker to pay first world wages for that task, and so someone making 50 cents or a dollar an hour does it, and no amount of tariffs will change that. Same with many manufacturing jobs that don't require much skill, and increasingly many that do require skill. Increasing automation will eliminate millions of other jobs, such as anything involving driving something, like a car or truck, that currently pay decent wages. I'm in accounting and tax, and AI will quickly eliminate many positions in that field other than the most highly skilled. Same thing across white collar jobs of all kinds - reading x-rays for example is already highly automated, surgeries will be increasingly automated. We'll still need doctors, but if a computer does 90% of the job, do we need to pay radiologists $500k a year? Doubtful.

Anyway, these developments have great potential, but the upheaval will be incredibly disruptive and will harm millions of workers. The point is we'll have to deal with these problems, and reducing it to "libs are stupid!" is just unproductive hackery. If that janitor isn't worth $15, and benefits, what should they get paid, and what should he or she do when it's not enough to cover healthcare for his child? If you don't have answers to that question except, "if you ask for a raise, we'll eliminate your job!" you're just ranting, while avoiding the serious issue your article raises going forward.
 
You are wrong. Companies like Walmart are more interested in automated technologies because it is not worth it to pay someone $15 to sweep a floor.

Just one more thing that liberals hacks do not understand.

The only hacks out there are people that post about opposing political parties being hacks...
 
If your boss could replace you with a machine he or she would.Heck if your boss could he would pay someone in China pennies on the dollar to do your job if that person could remote control a robot here to do your job. So you can shove this ha ha how dare poor people ask for more money for the hard work they do bs. Everyone's job will be replaced by a machine or some person working by remote overseas one day.

Are you saying that people should work for nothing like robots do? Robots don't eat or sleep either.
 
If your boss could replace you with a machine he or she would.Heck if your boss could he would pay someone in China pennies on the dollar to do your job if that person could remote control a robot here to do your job. So you can shove this ha ha how dare poor people ask for more money for the hard work they do bs. Everyone's job will be replaced by a machine or some person working by remote overseas one day.

It's the goal of any business to operate with as low of an operational budget as possible. The question is how effective the cost cutting measures are in relation to the service levels you provide. What I'm curious about is where the threshold is between automation and decimating roles where the formerly employed can't easily transition to new work because they lack the skills to do so. That over time will have an impact on the economy.
 
They can't vote either which is why Democrats are afraid of them

This isn't a partisan issue. How technology replaces certain types of work is something to be mindful of because there are consequences to society that have to be dealt with economically. Automation is the bane of not only manual labor but a lot of administrative work as well. Many developers I know talk about how their respective environments are moving more into self service applications of certain clerical workflows; the impact of automation is moving up the working ranks. It will be less impactful for the well educated, but a serious concern for those whom are not and cannot easily obtain the skills to transition to another career.
 
Walmart announced on Monday that it plans to deploy 360 autonomous custodial robots by the end of January that will mop the floors of some of its stores.The retailer said in a joint statement with developer Brain Corp. that the machines will be able to scrub floors even with customers around. The robots will feature multiple sensors that allow them to scan for people and obstacles.

"BrainOS technology allows robots to effectively and safely function in complex, crowded environments, ensuring increased productivity and efficiency across applications," Brain Corp. CEO Eugene Izhikevich said in a statement. "We look forward to continuing to work alongside Walmart to help build intelligent, connected stores."Bloomberg first reported on the announcement. The devices resemble a miniature Zamboni, the machine used to resurface ice at ice-skating rinks, and a motorized wheelchair, the news outlet said, and are already in use at airports in Seattle, Boston and Miami.Bloomberg reported that Walmart has previously dipped into the robot market by using automated devices to scan shelves, move products and check inventory.


https://thehill.com/policy/technolog...omous-janitors

So much for that $15 minimum wage for unskilled labor. Just one more thing that liberals missed the mark on.
Red:
Say what? Just how do you come to conclude that "liberals missed the mark" on automation?

  • 2016 -- Executive Office of the President: Artificial Intelligence,Automation, and the Economy

    Research consistently finds that the jobs that are threatened by automation are highly concentrated among lower-paid, lower-skilled, and less-educated workers. This means that automation will continue to put downward pressure on demand for this group, putting downward pressure on wages and upward pressure on inequality. In the longer-run, there may be different or larger effects. One possibility is superstar-biased technological change, where the benefits of technology accrue to an even smaller portion of society than just highly-skilled workers. The Winner-take-most nature of information technology markets means that only a few may come to dominate markets. If labor productivity increases do not translate into wage increases, then the large economic gains brought about by AI could accrue to a select few. Instead of broadly shared prosperity for workers and consumers, this might push towards reduced competition and increased wealth inequality.

Then there's the matter of the minimum wage's irrelevance if one doesn't employ workers whom one would have to pay minimum wage.
 
This isn't a partisan issue. How technology replaces certain types of work is something to be mindful of because there are consequences to society that have to be dealt with economically. Automation is the bane of not only manual labor but a lot of administrative work as well. Many developers I know talk about how their respective environments are moving more into self service applications of certain clerical workflows; the impact of automation is moving up the working ranks. It will be less impactful for the well educated, but a serious concern for those whom are not and cannot easily obtain the skills to transition to another career.

I think it is. Liberalss want the government to force companies to pay unskilled people more than their labor is worth (Socialism) and conservatives want the market to decide how much someone's labor is worth (Capitalism)
 
I think it is. Liberalss want the government to force companies to pay unskilled people more than their labor is worth (Socialism) and conservatives want the market to decide how much someone's labor is worth (Capitalism)

OK, and when the 'market' wage is $8 an hour with no benefits, what do conservative say when that worker gets sick or his child gets sick and he can't afford healthcare? Should he 1) beg, or 2) die?
 
OK, and when the 'market' wage is $8 an hour with no benefits, what do conservative say when that worker gets sick or his child gets sick and he can't afford healthcare? Should he 1) beg, or 2) die?

"not my problem"
 
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