RBE???

[kimba1]

http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2011/11/mobile-farm-robots/

[Plane]

The trouble with the RBE idea is that somebody needs to make ,pay for and own the robots.
That is three steps the RBE idea seems to simply skip over.

[Xavier_Onassis]

If the robots belong to society as a whole, then all society could benefit. They would be Society's willing slaves. But that could cause complacency and a lack of innovation unless very well planned.

If the robots belonged to only a wealthy few, then they would be the beneficiaries. Steve Jobs and Bill Gates were geniuses, but note that they did not reduce prices to make their innovations affordable to all. They charges what the market would bear.

This is a dilemma. Plato would have a special, incorruptible caste of ruling intelligentsia to distribute the benefits, but that did not work when theses were the Church fathers, nor when they were the party leaders. The most successful thus far have been the people running China. But they are all mortals, and China is subject to disasters that could dislodge them.

[Plane]

   If all society owns the robot and benifit is distributed evenly across all of the people.

    Who is gonna have the motive to invent and develop robots?

     All society has people for doing the work.

[kimba1]

most likely some folks will turndown the robot to stay fit. it not  pleasureable to not be physically active.

[Plane]

   I don't see "society" phaseing out "people" in favor of "robots" as if the people and the robots were interchangable.

     If they do become interchangable this won't be bad for the now superflous person?

[kimba1]

we might merge like the borg. the desire to be stronger,faster & smarter
machine doesn`t have to be metal and plastic. grown bio-contructs

[Xavier_Onassis]

I see the possibility that robots could do the work that is uncreative, repetitious, mind-numbing, dull, but absolutely necessary, like harvesting crops, maintaining roads, tarring roofs, treating sewage and the like, thereby allowing people to do n=more creative pursuits like engaging in the arts, ornamental gardening, quilting, and all sorts of artisanry.

The problem is that if the robots are the property of a few wealthy people, this is unlikely to happen, as they will not build the robots and put them out to work for free, even if it benefits everyone, because for at least some people, owning more and making money is the mos creative thing they can imagine.

[kimba1]

alabama might turn to a RBE  in the near future. Farm owners are losing thier migrant workers and is stuck with americans  to fill in the job. This will likely increase a need for machines to takeover.

[Xavier_Onassis]

There are machines that harvest only some vegetables and fruits.

A machine that harvests tomatoes is unlikely to work on potatoes or strawberries.

[Plane]

alabama might turn to a RBE  in the near future. Farm owners are losing thier migrant workers and is stuck with americans  to fill in the job. This will likely increase a need for machines to takeover.

    That is exactly how it goes.

     But this isn't RBE , the expensive machines have to be owned by contractors or large scale farmers.

       Robots could be seen in the field partly because they are programmable , they are versatile.

[kimba1]

maybe not versatile
the farmer can contract several different types of mchines. the cost of a all in one might be more costly and much less effective.

[Plane]

maybe not versatile
the farmer can contract several different types of mchines. the cost of a all in one might be more costly and much less effective.

   Robots are expensive , farm equipment is expensive , a cross between is bound to be expensive.

    Who has the cash and the motive?

[kimba1]

right now none, but the demand today has suddenly gone up so if the it`s posible for the big farms to buy or rent them. I believe the smaller farms share rent on those if they can afford that.

for at least a decade coal mining and farming has always publicly had an economic need to replace humans with machines. so it`s a very good possibility

[Xavier_Onassis]

The problem with mechanizing coal mines seems to be that the coal is mixed with rock and buried quite deep. Coal mining is dangerous and unpleasant and ideal for robotics, since there is not really a coal mining season, as is the case with harvesting crops. It does get too cold to mine in some places in the winter, but that is not as big a factor as seasons are for harvesting.

Destroying the land is the biggest problem with surface mining, which is safer than deep mining.