A Harpers contributer does the legwork and gets a head start on deflating the next dumb hype cycle.

  • Soyweiser@awful.systems
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    17 hours ago

    Two things, first thinking the llm stuff will help in robotics doesnt seem to fly, as llms are based on the whole internet and all books, a massive amount of data, data which for menial tasks doesnt exist yet. (And is also harder to get, creating text is easy).

    And the story about how humanoid bots are great for working in a warehouse seems also wrong to me, as one of the problems we all have had is that of you are carrying things, the big box you are carrying obscures part of your vision. Different designs would be better for that. (Even a humanoid robot who has eyes on the back of its hands for example). Such a lack of imagination.

    • fullsquare@awful.systems
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      16 hours ago

      you want something to help you in warehouse work? we have a tool for that: it’s called forklift

      Hello I would like a mechanical slave

      they have played us for absolute fools

      • Soyweiser@awful.systems
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        14 hours ago

        But paying workers gives workers money, which means you lose. Instead of buying a robot, which gives another capitalist/company money, which means they win. They are the most class conscious class.

    • gerikson@awful.systems
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      15 hours ago

      data which for menial tasks doesnt exist yet.

      This reminds me over an old old furore here in Sweden. A female researcher at a largish university made a study of how cleaners … cleaned. How bathrooms, kitchens etc were constructed and how workers had to move and lift to do their work.

      This was almost universally derided - “who does science on cleaning???”, but of course the intent was serious. Lots of people clean, if we design better workspaces, we reduce injuries and RSI etc, and maybe make it easier for less skilled people to clean. But becaseu both the author and the subjected were coded female, the reactionaries had conniptions.

      Anyway that won’t help humanoid robots. Just thought about it

      Edit found an article in Swedish about it, year was 1985. Nowadays bathroom fixtures are constructed after her recommendations

      https://arbetet.se/2009/02/26/gudrun-linns-forskningpverkar-hela-byggsverige/

      • YourNetworkIsHaunted@awful.systems
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        48 minutes ago

        Sounds a bit like a Swedish heiress to Lillian Gilbreth. My wife has had some mobility issues and has lamented that the work that went into designing more ergonomic and accessible kitchens in the 40s and 50s was largely abandoned and ignored in more recent homes.