© singularityhub.comOne of Foxconn's new robots.
Foxconn plans to replace 1 million of its human factory workers in China with robots, and the first 10,000 have already been installed.
At least one Foxconn factory in China has received 10,000 robots for the purpose of replacing human workers. These robots, which were manufactured in house and are called "Foxbots," are capable of doing simple tasks like lifting, making selections and placing items where they belong. They will act much like assembly line robots.
According to Singularity HUB, each robot costs about $20,000-$25,000.
Last year, Foxconn President Terry Gou said he wanted to replace 1 million factory workers in China with 1 million robots. This was likely due to the number of problems Foxconn has had with human employees over the years.
The company came under fire earlier this year when The New York Times published a massive article on the working conditions of Foxconn factories. Apple was also targeted because the report mentioned Apple's lack of action when receiving reports on these poor working environments and overtime/pay issues.
Foxconn gave employees a pay boost earlier this year and is cleaning its act up slowly but surely to comply with audits.
But it seems Foxconn just doesn't want to deal with human employees at all anymore. While it will take a long time to replace all 1 million workers with 1 million robots, the electronics manufacturer will receive another 20,000 robots before the end of 2012 -- bringing its total to 30,000 for the year. Foxconn hopes to continue increasing this number over the coming years.
good observation: a society without human employment cannot purchase products.
but: the stupefying type of labor that the robots are replacing shouldn't have even existed in the first place. even if those kind of jobs were highly paid - they are able to drive the most evenly mannered person insane. because they are inhumane, repetitive - stupefying. so thank god humans don't have to do them anymore!
thank god it frees up people from economic slavery.
food, shelter, water, clean air - all those things are basic human rights and one should not have to work like a robot just to have them. they should be free.
zeitgeist, with all its flaws and having turned into a dogma by now so it seems - does get this one right: a resource based economy where no one has to do a robot's job to have all the necessities and basics of life is a solution.
no laws. no governments. no money. no authorities. food and shelter and all other necessities of life are free. no one has to toil like a slave/robot to be able to survive.
but of course to acknowledge that, sott.net and its editors would actually have to overcome their ego and admit that there are other people who have good ideas, too, but who do not agree with sott's ideas. just like zeitgeist would have to overcome theirs to acknowledge that a resource based economy or whatever new and shiny architecture they come up with for a new society is doomed to fail if they continue to be blind to the question of psychopathy.
oh well ... and so it goes ... lol ... what else is new ?? lol