On Thu, 31 Dec 2015 16:21:43 -0600, Ignoramus24995
wrote:

On 2015-12-31, Ed Huntress wrote:
On Thu, 31 Dec 2015 07:54:36 -0600, Ignoramus24995
wrote:

On 2015-12-31, Ed Huntress wrote:
Now, about your "robot bartender." It's YOU who should look at those
Google listings, because none of them actually have replaced humans.
They're gee-whiz demonstration projects, like the hamburger assembling
robots that get Iggy excited. They aren't anybody's employment
problem. Whether they ever will be is open to speculation.

And the reason for that is that the mechanics of automation are no
longer the limiting factor in further implementation. The limiting
factor now is coordinating vast amounts of data -- control data,
monitoring data, optimizing data, ordering data -- it's a software
problem. General-subject reporters see the robots. Manufacturing
managers see the data piling up.

Do you really think that we must have people putting patties on buns
and taking orders? Come on

i

Nope, we don't need them. But I think we'll be keeping them for a
*very* long time.

Your talking about changing a financial structure to include a lot of
up-front capital. Figure the life cycle cost on a $50,000 six-axis
robot with a lifetime of 8 years, including maintenance and
programming; staging for a continuously-changing menu of products;
linear transport of components to the robot; etc., etc.

Then figure out how long it will take to get people used to the idea.
This isn't painting their cars. This is making their food.

The robots that could do that kind of work have been around for over
20 years. Now think about why they aren't assembling burgers right
now.


How much is the labor cost, in terms of percentage of the burger
price?

i

Deloitte says the average total labor cost for fast-food restaurants
is 30% - 35% of gross sales. That includes prep cooks (which the robot
would replace); grill cooks (unknown if robots would be involved);
counter help; and managers.

A much more likely replacement -- one that is followed by a couple of
franchise operations here -- is replacing most of the counter help
with touch-screen ordering.

--
Ed Huntress