Article hits the nail on the head.
They cost $50,000 apiece. When you add the cost of maintenance, software upgrades, repairs, etc. I think it will be quite some time before the minimum-wage workforce has much to worry about.
“When you add the cost of maintenance, software upgrades, repairs, etc. I think it will be quite some time before the minimum-wage workforce has much to worry about.”
However, universal minimum wage of $15.00/hr (and higher) will accelerate replacement of service jobs. Ordering and paying for fast food and coffee are ripe for the picking, and in particular, there’s not even a need for a “barista” anymore, since the fully automated espresso machines only need to be slightly redesigned to be turned around on the counter so the customers pull their own shots. Next will be the fast food restaurant kitchens themselves. Only a matter of time until a miniaturized food factory is installed in the back of each one, and you need only two employees: one to load the ingredients and another to clean tables and take out the trash. A couple of roving repairmen can take care of maintenance and repair for a whole district.
Amortized over 5 to 10 years? No sick leave, no health insurance? Smart retailers will JUMP on robot floor staff. And I can’t blame them one bit.
This robot replaces several shifts.
My Home Depot store is open 101 hours per week. A bit over 5200 hours per year if you exclude holiday closings. If the cost of having a human there is $10/hour, the robot pays for itself the first year, and it will continue to run for several years.
So, I can buy a fleet of them for a couple of million dollars, they work from open to close without complaint, never call in sick, or hungover, or because "it's too snowy out". They don't have maternity leave, or benefits, or comp time, or vacation. They automatically track all inventory in the store, know immediately where it is, and can automatically order more when needed. Checkout capabilities, for all of these devices, would be a simple add-on.
And, a front-line tech to service these robots costs about $15/hour, or the same salary as the higher-minimum-wage proponents are agitating for.....
I gotta tell ya, people screaming for higher minimum wages need to be careful for what they ask for. They just might get it.
“They cost $50,000 apiece. When you add the cost of maintenance, software upgrades, repairs, etc. I think it will be quite some time before the minimum-wage workforce has much to worry about.”
But these Bots understand and speak English.
My first personal computer $5,200....2nd - $1500....3rd - $1200....today you can get a pc for $300, even $150.
$50,000 for a robot now and $4000 in a few years.
A robot will replace how many humans for a corporation 3...5...10? ... and work 24 hrs a day...that is 9...15 ...or 30 workers salaries, pensions etc gone. Profits will soar and robots will be everywhere.