Robots Replace Waiters at the 'Robot.He' Restaurant in Shanghai

[AngeloBJ]

Lemme get this straight....they took a $2.14 an hour job and replaced it with a $5000 robot, but yet I still cant get the jackass at McDonalds to learn the difference between diet Coke and regular Coke...

 

[M76]

Living wage...




EDIT: IMO, the biggest problem is what people expect from entry-level jobs in much of the 'west'. They expect to be able to live by themselves or even to support a family working one. Why anyone would have that expectation is beyond my comprehension. Those arguing for a 'living wage' likely already have one but instead want a "let me live anywhere I want, eat what I want, enjoy luxuries far beyond imagining 30 years ago, have a short commute, be fiscally irresponsible without repercussions, etc" wage. Our standard of living, even quite often for the poor, is very high. Our expectations, are often higher still.

What I find interesting, but not too surprising (see post above) is the robots are replacing workers in the food service industry in China. Keep in mind, they are paid roughly $200-350 a month and they certainly are putting in more than 40 hours per week. They maybe have one day off each week, some places only give a half a day off per week, I shit you not. Maybe they earn a bit more in Shanghai as it's such an expensive city but sometimes less as they're not uncommonly provided room and board. Think of a dorm room with 4-8 people living in it. Electricity and hot water are usually controlled.

Perhaps they're not exactly being replaced now, but the time will come and it will have more to do with quality and reliability than quick and dirty economics. Now it's more of a novelty thing. This isn't the first place to have robots and I know of at least one place in China who got rid of them and went back to human servers.

That is why earning a living has become obsolete. People shouldn't and more importantly cannot earn a living when robots can provide almost everything for no wages. A living should be a right, and people should work to earn additional privileges.

The mantra / rule "you must earn a living" was invented before automation was a thing, when every person's work was necessary to provide a living for everyone. But people having the "you shouldn't get anything for nothing mindset" are in the way of progress. They don't realize they are already getting a lot of things for nothing.

 

[Icon_Charlie]

At least they won't go on strike and demand $15/hour for unskilled labor.

Guess you never seen the Chinese Riot.... I effing have and if you want a taste of it, just watch the Koreans or Taiwan go at it... None of this Smowflake Peace Protests... It's God damn hard core and fucking anything goes....

 

[Staples]

I love all these opponents of $15 an hour for work. What it is that you do that makes you think you deserve more than $15 an hour?

I think most people get paid too much for crap anyone can do with a little on the job training.

A lot of the higher paying jobs require fancy degrees but many of these jobs can be done by anyone with learning on the job within one month.

 

[DustMite]

To make a comment that is actually related to the original post:

I was expecting a bunch of Honda Asimo type robots roaming around actually waiting on tables, not glorified automated amazon warehouse robot drones.
These reminded me of the scrubbing bubbles from the bathroom cleaner commercials. You know, the scrubbing bubbles that exclaim "we do the work so you don't have tooooooo" as they throw themselves down the drain. lol

 

[sfsuphysics]

Guess you never seen the Chinese Riot.... I effing have and if you want a taste of it, just watch the Koreans or Taiwan go at it... None of this Smowflake Peace Protests... It's God damn hard core and fucking anything goes....

Sounds like when congress is in session over there, none of this filibuster bullshit because you don't like the way things are going, "oh you are just babbling on about inane stuff? I'll slam your head on your desk!"

 

[Laowai]

I love all these opponents of $15 an hour for work. What it is that you do that makes you think you deserve more than $15 an hour?

I think most people get paid too much for crap anyone can do with a little on the job training.

A lot of the higher paying jobs require fancy degrees but many of these jobs can be done by anyone with learning on the job within one month.

Not all opponents of the $15/hr wage earn more than $15/hr.
That said, I don't decide what my time and skills are worth, the market does. As it should for everyone.

 

[Laowai]

That is why earning a living has become obsolete. People shouldn't and more importantly cannot earn a living when robots can provide almost everything for no wages. A living should be a right, and people should work to earn additional privileges.

The mantra / rule "you must earn a living" was invented before automation was a thing, when every person's work was necessary to provide a living for everyone. But people having the "you shouldn't get anything for nothing mindset" are in the way of progress. They don't realize they are already getting a lot of things for nothing.

That's what you got out of those videos?
I'll leave discussion about UBI to another thread but it may be worth checking out why the Finns are ending their UBI experiment even though additional funding was offered. I'm not saying that to make a point...I am also really curious. I'd love to see the data after the experiment is completed.

 

[Deathroned]

As added bonus, less backlash from the humanitarian organizations & the international community if they start taking apart the robot waiters to sell for parts--unlike the rest of their populace.

China’s organ trafficking exposed in shocking documentary that alleges the illegal trade is now worth a staggering US$1 billion a year

Americas greatest Ally(actual owners) of America Traffic Organs everyday.

 

[Creig]

Unskilled labor? Obviously you have never waited tables.. it takes skill and personality, as well as stamina both physically and emotionally. If you disagree.. go get a job as a waiter/waitress in a busy restaurant, if it takes no skill.. you should do just fine..

After I graduated from college I had to work at Burger King for six months before I found a position in my chosen field. I did what I had to do in order to earn money and survive. Burger King didn't pay me any more than the other employees simply because I had a college degree. They paid me according to the level of the work I was performing and the skill set it took in order to accomplish it. If a job takes minimal skills to perform, it will likely be paid minimal wages. I make a lot more now than I did at Burger King because I'm performing tasks that most fast food employees aren't capable of. It's called supply and demand. You don't get paid what you "need", you get paid what the market says your work is worth.

 

[Creig]

That is why earning a living has become obsolete. People shouldn't and more importantly cannot earn a living when robots can provide almost everything for no wages. A living should be a right, and people should work to earn additional privileges.

The mantra / rule "you must earn a living" was invented before automation was a thing, when every person's work was necessary to provide a living for everyone. But people having the "you shouldn't get anything for nothing mindset" are in the way of progress. They don't realize they are already getting a lot of things for nothing.

And the people at the bottom also get a lot of "things for nothing". In fact, they get a lot more "things for nothing" than I do because I work 400+ hours of overtime every year and aren't eligible for them. In fact, the only "things for nothing" I seem to get is a larger portion of my paycheck taken from me to support all the people who don't work as hard as I do (or who don't work at all). Maybe I should just quit my job and expect everybody else to pay for me as you think people should be doing. It would certainly make my life a lot easier.

Working hard and earning a living is NOT obsolete. It's what made the United States great in the first place. Your line of socialist thinking is what's obsolete. It doesn't work. Just ask Venezuela.

 

[M76]

And the people at the bottom also get a lot of "things for nothing". In fact, they get a lot more "things for nothing" than I do because I work 400+ hours of overtime every year and aren't eligible for them. In fact, the only "things for nothing" I seem to get is a larger portion of my paycheck taken from me to support all the people who don't work as hard as I do (or who don't work at all). Maybe I should just quit my job and expect everybody else to pay for me as you think people should be doing. It would certainly make my life a lot easier.

Working hard and earning a living is NOT obsolete. It's what made the United States great in the first place. Your line of socialist thinking is what's obsolete. It doesn't work. Just ask Venezuela.

You completely miss the greater picture. Most low skill workers are becoming useless in the current technological society. People with low to medium IQ are no longer needed to be employed en masse to feed everyone, and to produce goods for everyone. We can create much more with less manual labor. But if you have a better idea how to solve technological unemployment let's hear it.
We are actually a the lucky ones, those who have the opportunity to put in 400 hours of overtime. You should be thankful that your job is still relevant instead of bitching about it.

Working for a living is obsolete, working is not obsolete, as long as you can contribute, low skill workers however are needed less and less. You'd have them do manual labor and throw out the robots instead, because your ego says "nobody should get anything for free". You know who did that also? Who employed people in jobs that were not necessary? Fucking communism!

All the infrastructure that was present when you were born into this world, you didn't pay for any of that, you paid nothing until you started your first actual job, yet you benefited from all of it. Isn't that getting something for free? Aren't you getting something for free while your parents put you trough school, and raise you? You get all that for nothing. Did it hurt you? No it didn't. Actually you wouldn't be who you are if you didn't get those things for nothing.

As long as the people at the middle view people at the bottom with contempt there will be no progress. Don't think with your ego, think with your brain. You don't know why those people are at the bottom, but you assume they're there because they didn't work as hard as you. Sure that's true in a few cases. But you can't with good conscience declare that circumstances don't matter. You know things you get for free, like the fact that you were put trough schools, and you had opportunities. You can be the most talented person, if there is nobody to put you trough school and start you off in life properly.

 

[Creig]

Wow, don't bust your spleen there, Stalin!

You completely miss the greater picture. Most low skill workers are becoming useless in the current technological society. People with low to medium IQ are no longer needed to be employed en masse to feed everyone, and to produce goods for everyone. We can create much more with less manual labor. But if you have a better idea how to solve technological unemployment let's hear it. We are actually a the lucky ones, those who have the opportunity to put in 400 hours of overtime. You should be thankful that your job is still relevant instead of bitching about it.

I should be thankful that I have to put in the equivalent of 14 1/2 months of work per year when there are perfectly healthy people out there leeching off the system (and my tax dollars) so that they don't have to work at all? I think that everyone accepting taxpayer handouts should be subject to random investigations to prove that they are indeed incapable of any sort of work. I have no problem helping those that are truly in need. But there are WAY too many lazy lowlifes out there who know how to play the system so that they never have to work a day in their lives.

And I don't worry that my job is still relevant because I have helped evolve it as technology progressed. Instead of wringing my hands and saying, "Oh, no! Technology is going to put me out of work!" I embraced it and helped it make my office to become more efficient.

Working for a living is obsolete, working is not obsolete, as long as you can contribute, low skill workers however are needed less and less. You'd have them do manual labor and throw out the robots instead, because your ego says "nobody should get anything for free". You know who did that also? Who employed people in jobs that were not necessary? Fucking communism!

Guess what? Technology decreases the number of people needed at some jobs, but it also increases the need in others.

All the infrastructure that was present when you were born into this world, you didn't pay for any of that, you paid nothing until you started your first actual job, yet you benefited from all of it. Isn't that getting something for free? Aren't you getting something for free while your parents put you trough school, and raise you? You get all that for nothing. Did it hurt you? No it didn't. Actually you wouldn't be who you are if you didn't get those things for nothing.

There's no such thing as a free lunch. Yes, people ahead of me worked to develop everything that I and EVERYBODY ELSE in the country benefits from. And in return, I work and contribute to advancing and improving that which I started with for the next generation. I can't believe I even have to explain this to you.

As long as the people at the middle view people at the bottom with contempt there will be no progress. Don't think with your ego, think with your brain. You don't know why those people are at the bottom, but you assume they're there because they didn't work as hard as you. Sure that's true in a few cases. But you can't with good conscience declare that circumstances don't matter. You know things you get for free, like the fact that you were put trough schools, and you had opportunities. You can be the most talented person, if there is nobody to put you trough school and start you off in life properly.

It seems that you could stand to go back trough school yourself. Look at the statistics. In August, the United States had 7,136,000 job openings. That is the highest on record since the Labor Department began keeping track of this data in late 2000. The nation now has more than one job opening for every unemployed person! Anyone who can't find a job today probably isn't looking very hard.

 

[viscountalpha]

Just wait until these robots get hacked or infected. Free food! Or initiating self destruction.

 

[lcpiper]

It's called a living wage so the taxpayers don't have to subsidize corporations by providing food, housing, medical care to their employees.

Not supposed to be a "living wage", supposed to be a minimum wage.

All raising the minimum wage does is raise the costs of services and goods proven 20 times over.

EDITED: I suppose someone is going to say that things are different today, that because of this reason and that reason, completely out of the control of citizens today, they now have to try and live on a minimum wage job.

The problem is, over the last 30 years, nothing else has in any material way drastically changed in value that such jobs should be worth more pay. Suddenly a stock boy at a grocery store doesn't require any more skill than the same position required in the 1980s, 70s, or before. A fast food restaurant worker doesn't need to be more skilled than before, and the same is true of so many other jobs.

But I will tell you what has changed.

A. A population of people completely convinced that a minimum wage job needs to pay "a living wage".

B. Technology has produced a viable alternative to the minimum wage worker, it's called, a robot.

Yes, what is different is that business now has an alternative to human labor, and in the face of rising wage demands, the alternative looks promising. People are going to price themselves out of the market.

Think on that awhile.