I don’t think traffic is a good indicator of economic activity. Beijing has ordered private companies to find a way for their employees to work from home. Telecomuting/videoconferencing. So anything that’s not hands-on human production lines will still happen.
We may see a tremendous ramping up of automation on a much larger scale worldwide so that one or a dozen people can run a factory. Probably wont get any madi-gras beads this year but computers can sew masks and PPE suits and make widgets and electronic chips and cheap 99centstore plastics. Other robots can accept, log in, transport and prepare for shipping. You might have one man putting on all the car doors on an assembly line, instead of one on each door. Slower, but still moving.
China is already using electric delivery vehicles similar to Amazon carts to deliver whatever, and talking electric carts inside isolation units to deliver food and drink to patients under observation, minimizing patient contact.
In the US, we’re guiding multiple aircraft from one control aircraft. Boats the same way. So there’s your international shipping. What’s that new satellite grid Starlink? Skynet?
If this was 50 years ago, I’d be way apprehensive. But look at the leaps in tech and robotics in just the past 5 years. How much more developed will that field be 5 years from now when the need turns from hobby to critical and all the geeks and nerds in the world get busy with some serious level tinkering?
“If this was 50 years ago, I’d be way apprehensive. But look at the leaps in tech and robotics in just the past 5 years. How much more developed will that field be 5 years from now when the need turns from hobby to critical and all the geeks and nerds in the world get busy with some serious level tinkering?”
The problem is trying to accelerate these changes, under these conditions. They may well get there...but in 5 years or so.