Tech companies often boast of how technology is revolutionizing our world. Yet for all the gain, technology fails us on so many levels. Basic necessities like housing, health & education seem to get ever more expensive and difficult to access for many.
If ever there was a sector that could do with a tech revolution, it’s housing. 3D printing & robotics promise much but never seem to take off. Perhaps a new approach is needed to jump-start them. Renewable energy markets didn’t take off until governments intervened to support them. Maybe the same should happen for ultra-cheap housing via robots & 3D printing.
Making cheap housing doesn’t make stock market numbers go up and that’s all capitalism cares about.
Tech can’t solve those problems, because they’re not technological problems. There are intensive studies on them and they never prove definitely feasible. For example, 3D printing is not reliable and not scalable. Robotics require very precise and stable conditions, a simple breeze that would just have workers using a jacket, completely stops a robot. Same with container homes, prefab houses, etc. they only seem to work under controlled conditions but fail in real life settings. These tech startups don’t want to solve any real problem, they want money, to sell out and retire early.
We already have all the technology we need to provide full housing, medical care and education to all humans on earth. But we won’t because that doesn’t fill the shareholders pockets.
That’s 5 / minute (as another commenter pointed out) or 1 every 12 seconds. If a human bricklayer worked that slow, my guess is they’d be fired
That’s true, but only because the human bricklayer has to be paid for their work. As long as the robot’s output outweighs its initial cost and recurring maintenance, it’s likely still profitable even if it could only lay 100 bricks an hour. Especially if multiple robots can work in tandem.
Not if they worked 24/7 and didn’t ask for health benefits or retirement.
For reference, how many would a typical human be laying? 300/hour is 5/minute, but that doesn’t sound like a lot I guess.
@lugh@futurology.today
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