←back to thread

209 points Luc | 2 comments | | HN request time: 0.001s | source
Show context
philipwhiuk ◴[] No.43935844[source]
It's interesting how Amazon is embedding robots in human-designed warehouses whereas Ocado has humans overseeing a robotic warehouse.

The later is a much easier problem.

replies(6): >>43935863 #>>43935916 #>>43935979 #>>43936186 #>>43938069 #>>43938207 #
vidarh ◴[] No.43935916[source]
The Ocado warehouse automation is pretty crazy:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssZ_8cqfBlE

replies(3): >>43936160 #>>43936336 #>>43937344 #
throw310822 ◴[] No.43936160[source]
Incredibile!

Also, from the comments:

"My favorite thing about this is how 2 weeks after this video went up, they had an accident where two robots collided and caused a gigantic fire that cost them like 50 million dollars."

replies(1): >>43937924 #
CamperBob2 ◴[] No.43937924[source]
Meanwhile, the warehouse down the road underwent a strike that put them out of commission for weeks, forced expensive wage concessions, and incurred NRLB fines, costing them like... 60 million dollars.

One of these things can be fixed, the other will always be a risk as long as humans are involved.

replies(4): >>43938239 #>>43938326 #>>43938757 #>>43939461 #
littlestymaar ◴[] No.43938757[source]
> One of these things can be fixe

That's correct, the second one can get fixed with higher wages and benefits, like when Ford introduced the “$5 a day” (doubling market average).

replies(1): >>43939545 #
CamperBob2 ◴[] No.43939545[source]
Yes, if you're going to pay humans to suffer the indignity of doing a robot's job, it makes sense to pay well.
replies(1): >>43943108 #
littlestymaar ◴[] No.43943108[source]
There's no indignity in “doing a robot's job” unless if you think working is indignity, because every job is a “robot job”.
replies(2): >>43943136 #>>43946537 #
1. CamperBob2 ◴[] No.43943136{3}[source]
Of course there is! Since you're here, you're probably a programmer or engineer, a student, or a dedicated professional in some other IT-adjacent field. How would you react if someone offered you a job in a warehouse?

Once you've thought that through, apply the same reasoning to human beings in general, not just white-collar HN denizens. Few people want to work a hard blue-collar job for the same reason you and I don't want to: we have better things to do with our time.

replies(2): >>43943308 #>>43946503 #
2. ◴[] No.43946503[source]