As it unloads a dishwasher and shelves all the clean contents in their correct place in the kitchen, Figure AI's latest update to its Helix humanoid robot demonstrates how quickly humanoid robots are advancing.
Two things to keep in mind while watching this video of Helix dealing with a dishwasher. One: From now on, it will only ever get better. Two: What one robot can do, soon all will be able to do.
We are getting closer and closer to humanoid robots that, with minimal training, can tackle most unskilled work. How far away do you think this robot is from being able to stack shelves in a supermarket? It's an unglamorous job, but in the US alone, the Stockers and Order Fillers occupational category — which includes people who refill shelves, racks, and displays- employs 2.8 million people. It's only a matter of time before robots like Helix can replace them. Think they won't be replaced as soon as they can be? Something else to remember – robots will work 24/7, and never need days off, or health & social security contributions.
Ask yourself a question. Can you think of a single elected politician honestly preparing for this reality? I'm guessing you'll draw a blank.
In the US, the Stockers and Order Fillers occupational category employs 2.8 million people. The latest update to the Helix humanoid robot shows how soon it will be able to do their jobs.
byu/lughnasadh inFuturology
4 Comments
> It’s only a matter of time before robots like Helix can replace them. Think they won’t be replaced as soon as they can be?
It’s a neat trick, but even in an extremely controlled environment, this robot is moderately worse than a minimum wage worker.
> Something else to remember – robots will work 24/7, and never need days off, or health & social security contributions.
Sad as it is, remember that in the US, these robots are massively more expensive than humans, even if they run 24/7. And they’re already not giving health insurance to them.
I think they should have a version that operates on wheels with a stable base.
Saves loads of energy and compute power.
Supermarkets and Warehouses are designed for wheels.
Also I think products and boxes will have to be designed with robots in mind.
If they implement those ideas, the cognitive aspect isn’t so difficult.
I hate nasayers. “Oh, well this tech isn’t perfected yet. Right now it’s worse than a human.” We get it. Tech is still being perfected. But these systems are meant to develop and improve so that they do perfect the movements. This is nothing like the tech revolutions in the past
You know what noone talks about in their utopian visions of robots, vandalism. When everyone’s job is being replaced by robots, don’t expect everyone to treat this clankers kindly. I have a feeling robots will be much like self-checkout lines. They seem like a good idea and create cost saving in the short term, but having to replace/repair one every time ir gets pushed over will get costly.