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Googlebotics

Archived column by Ray Rasmussen

January’s big news was that Google was getting into robotics in a big way with some very strategic acquisitions. In February we heard that Foxconn and Google were partnering to build the “factory of the future.”

In an interview with The Observer, Ray Kurzweil, Google’s director of engineering, believes that by 2029 computer systems (automation and robotics included) will be as smart as people and much more capable. Kurzweil, famous as a futurist and focused on the exponential changes in technologies, predicted the Internet, among other technology breakthroughs. He also predicts that that by 2030, solar energy will be able to meet all the energy needs of the planet. That’s just 15 years away!

If you’re interested in gaining a better understanding of the difference between robotics and automation, check out this link.

As I’ve mentioned before, robotics are going to have a profound effect on people, both positively and negatively. In fact, I believe the automated and robotic factory along with the evermore automated business will dramatically change our society--it has to. IPC APEX EXPO keynote speaker and X-Prize Founder Dr. Peter Diamandis talked about this very issue during his presentation. What’s both exciting and scary at the same time is that, as he pointed out, technological change is accelerating and our society is transforming into what he called “technological socialism” as machines replace workers. Societies will need to come up with ways to keep people busy. I think we’ll figure it out over time, but there will be a rough patch as companies transition to the factories of the future and replace hundreds of millions of jobs over the next decade. In other words, it’s here, now. We’ve arrived! 

To understand where I’m coming from you have to let your imagination run a bit. You can start this exercise by thinking about where automation and robotic systems won’t work. That’s a bit easier than trying to come up with all the ways they will. The experts say that if you’re into landscaping maintenance, that’ll probably remain a manual task, mostly, for some time. Some form of robotics or automated system will likely transform most everything else. 

Read the full column here.


Editor's Note: This column originally appeared in the May 2014 issue of SMT Magazine.