China is Building a Robot Army of Model Workers
Originally shared by Rob Jongschaap
China is Building a Robot Army of Model Workers
'Can China reboot its manufacturing industry—and the global economy—by replacing millions of workers with machines?
[...]
... replacing humans with machines is not an easy task. Most industrial robots have to be extensively programmed, and they will perform a job properly only if everything is positioned just so. Much of the production work done in Chinese factories requires dexterity, flexibility, and common sense. If a box comes down the line at an odd angle, for instance, a worker has to adjust his or her hand before affixing the label. A few hours later, the same worker might be tasked with affixing a new label to a different kind of box. And the following day he or she might be moved to another part of the line entirely.
Despite the huge challenges, countless manufacturers in China are planning to transform their production processes using robotics and automation at an unprecedented scale. In some ways, they don’t really have a choice. Human labor in China is no longer as cheap as it once was, especially compared with labor in rival manufacturing hubs growing quickly in Asia. In Vietnam, Thailand, and Indonesia, factory wages can be less than a third of what they are in the urban centers of China. One solution, many manufacturers—and government officials—believe, is to replace human workers with machines.
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https://www.technologyreview.com/s/601215/china-is-building-a-robot-army-of-model-workers/#/set/id/601326/
https://www.technologyreview.com/s/601215/china-is-building-a-robot-army-of-model-workers/#/set/id/601326/
China is Building a Robot Army of Model Workers
'Can China reboot its manufacturing industry—and the global economy—by replacing millions of workers with machines?
[...]
... replacing humans with machines is not an easy task. Most industrial robots have to be extensively programmed, and they will perform a job properly only if everything is positioned just so. Much of the production work done in Chinese factories requires dexterity, flexibility, and common sense. If a box comes down the line at an odd angle, for instance, a worker has to adjust his or her hand before affixing the label. A few hours later, the same worker might be tasked with affixing a new label to a different kind of box. And the following day he or she might be moved to another part of the line entirely.
Despite the huge challenges, countless manufacturers in China are planning to transform their production processes using robotics and automation at an unprecedented scale. In some ways, they don’t really have a choice. Human labor in China is no longer as cheap as it once was, especially compared with labor in rival manufacturing hubs growing quickly in Asia. In Vietnam, Thailand, and Indonesia, factory wages can be less than a third of what they are in the urban centers of China. One solution, many manufacturers—and government officials—believe, is to replace human workers with machines.
...'
https://www.technologyreview.com/s/601215/china-is-building-a-robot-army-of-model-workers/#/set/id/601326/
https://www.technologyreview.com/s/601215/china-is-building-a-robot-army-of-model-workers/#/set/id/601326/
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