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[Varche]

Starting soon in Milton Keynes. You have your package sent to the depot and For £8 a month you can have unlimited deliveries

What could possibly go wrong! Let's see the robot could get stuck in a puddle, ice patch, fall over on a slope, be kidnapped ............ Run over by a real delivery truck that didn't see it, couldn't get up onto pavement as no dropped kerb. Contents could stolen. No one in when it gets there.

More info on the BBQ website. I dare say they will have teething problems but one day it will all be done by drones or robots.

[iansoutham]

They were trialing this round Lewisham a couple of years ago when I worked there.

Big motorised metal box with lots of sensors to prevent incidents, including stopping and waiting if the path ahead was too narrow for someone coming the other way. Fast mode for crossing roads and would only cross at crossings or if sensors could detect a low enough pavement (it can climb pavements remarkably well).

[Allenm]

there is a good reason why this is being trialled in Milton Keynes.  The redway network of paths spans the entire town and you can go from one end of MK to the other without ever needing to cross a main road.

I have seen the pods a few times, I suspect the biggest issue will be kids messing about with them, blocking their path etc.

[deviator]

Starting soon in Milton Keynes. You have your package sent to the depot and For £8 a month you can have unlimited deliveries

What could possibly go wrong! Let's see the robot could get stuck in a puddle, ice patch, fall over on a slope, be kidnapped ............ Run over by a real delivery truck that didn't see it, couldn't get up onto pavement as no dropped kerb. Contents could stolen. No one in when it gets there.

More info on the BBQ website. I dare say they will have teething problems but one day it will all be done by drones or robots.

What now?

[aaronjb]

What now?

Q and C are just right next to each other on a keyboard, you know..

[Kevin Wood]

What now?

Q and C are just right next to each other on a keyboard, you know..

Give the choice, I'd take a BBQ any time, though.. Numm Numm.

[Viral_Jim]

Starting soon in Milton Keynes. You have your package sent to the depot and For £8 a month you can have unlimited deliveries

What could possibly go wrong! Let's see the robot could get stuck in a puddle, ice patch, fall over on a slope, be kidnapped ............ Run over by a real delivery truck that didn't see it, couldn't get up onto pavement as no dropped kerb. Contents could stolen. No one in when it gets there.

More info on the BBQ website. I dare say they will have teething problems but one day it will all be done by drones or robots.

As with most new technologies, when they're first launched most people believe they will never catch on/work.

Similarly, most people believe that their jobs could never be automated -

As at 2018, just ask any brickie or truck driver.
As at 1908, just ask any loom operator 
As at 1891, just ask any telephone exchange operator

[Varche]

Here is the link on the BBQ website!

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-46045365

You are right Jimmy. I wish they had drone delivery here in remote Spain. I pay for next day delivery and still have to do a thirty minute round trip to collect from the nearest petrol station.

I still predict lots of teething troubles. Kids in my day would have loved to vandalise, turn over, shoot at with air guns or just lob rocks or maybe adorn with graffiti or tape over their cameras.

[aaronjb]

As at 2018, just ask any brickie or truck driver.
As at 1908, just ask any loom operator 
As at 1891, just ask any telephone exchange operator

I saw a video this morning of a bipedal human-shaped robot that can put plasterboard up - it picks up a sheet off a stack, rotates it, holds it up against the stud work, picks up the screw-gun and screws it to the studs..

Comments on the video are entirely "Oh that's so slow! It will never catch on, I can hang plasterboard 100 times that fast", "Too slow to build a house, too expensive, never work!", (and from the Americans) "In the time it takes that POS to hang one wall, a gang of Mexicans can have the whole house boarded!"

Give it 20 years, they'll all be living under a bridge while the robot does their job.

.. and so will the rest of us.

[Kevin Wood]

As at 2018, just ask any brickie or truck driver.
As at 1908, just ask any loom operator 
As at 1891, just ask any telephone exchange operator

I saw a video this morning of a bipedal human-shaped robot that can put plasterboard up - it picks up a sheet off a stack, rotates it, holds it up against the stud work, picks up the screw-gun and screws it to the studs..

Comments on the video are entirely "Oh that's so slow! It will never catch on, I can hang plasterboard 100 times that fast", "Too slow to build a house, too expensive, never work!", (and from the Americans) "In the time it takes that POS to hang one wall, a gang of Mexicans can have the whole house boarded!"

Give it 20 years, they'll all be living under a bridge while the robot does their job.

.. and so will the rest of us.

Yep, I guess they missed out the bit where the robot spends ages sitting around drinking tea and playing practical jokes on his mates, or complains about the foreman, or goes home at night.

Oh, wait!

[deviator]

I still predict lots of teething troubles. Kids in my day would have loved to vandalise, turn over, shoot at with air guns or just lob rocks or maybe adorn with graffiti or tape over their cameras.

This is what I would have done as a kid, flipped them over. I can see this going the same way as the pedal bike rentals in Manchester, a great idea ruined by idiots.

[TheBoy]

I seem to recall if you were near the city town centre, there was a firm doing lunchtime takeaway deliveries 2 or 3 years back by autonomous machines.

[Viral_Jim]

I saw a video this morning of a bipedal human-shaped robot that can put plasterboard up - it picks up a sheet off a stack, rotates it, holds it up against the stud work, picks up the screw-gun and screws it to the studs..

Comments on the video are entirely "Oh that's so slow! It will never catch on, I can hang plasterboard 100 times that fast", "Too slow to build a house, too expensive, never work!", (and from the Americans) "In the time it takes that POS to hang one wall, a gang of Mexicans can have the whole house boarded!"

Give it 20 years, they'll all be living under a bridge while the robot does their job.

.. and so will the rest of us.

Yup, they forget there are 24hrs in every day, and they probably work 40-50/week max (and even less when you take out breaks and d!cking about).

I genuinely believe that the only jobs which are "safe" from automation in the medium term are certain things in the leisure and entertainment industry where people want that human contact (B&B owners for example). The rest - totally up for grabs.

[deviator]

I saw a video this morning of a bipedal human-shaped robot that can put plasterboard up - it picks up a sheet off a stack, rotates it, holds it up against the stud work, picks up the screw-gun and screws it to the studs..

Comments on the video are entirely "Oh that's so slow! It will never catch on, I can hang plasterboard 100 times that fast", "Too slow to build a house, too expensive, never work!", (and from the Americans) "In the time it takes that POS to hang one wall, a gang of Mexicans can have the whole house boarded!"

Give it 20 years, they'll all be living under a bridge while the robot does their job.

.. and so will the rest of us.

Yup, they forget there are 24hrs in every day, and they probably work 40-50/week max (and even less when you take out breaks and d!cking about).

I genuinely believe that the only jobs which are "safe" from automation in the medium term are certain things in the leisure and entertainment industry where people want that human contact (B&B owners for example). The rest - totally up for grabs.

I do tend to agree, with one addition. It's going to be the golden age for automation repair people.

[Varche]

A bit of deja vu here.

Anyone remember the seventies when we were told computers were going to mean we would all have more leisure time. And to prepare for the four or possibly three day week.

Maybe when robots do takethe jobs like fruitpicking, burger flipping etc everyone in first world countries will have a guaranteed income to cover nowork scenario. Say £20k at todays rates