RV FEATURE
Factories are already designed around human bodies and human tools; therefore, a bipedal robot with two hands could theoretically perform the same tasks as people. This was the point made by Swinburne University’ s Factory of the Future during the trade show. During the expo, 3PO – a name that needs no explanation – mostly just danced for the masses, entertaining and wowing us with thoughts of what the future would bring.
But 3PO and the Factory of the Future were there to challenge the thinking of the industry, to inspire manufacturers and to remind us all that the future was coming – fast. The jovial robot was described to me as a‘ research platform’ capable of being programmed to carry out various tasks. Need someone to carry sheet metal from one part of the factory to the other? A robot could do that cheaper … and won’ t sue if it trips and falls over something. Need someone to assemble furniture components fresh off the CNC machine? A robot could do that and won’ t take a single toilet break, nor will they require superannuation and taxes to be paid on their behalf, and who has ever heard of a robot taking long service leave?
Is 3P0 coming for the caravan industry ' s jobs?
Yep, caravans are still considered hand-built products with the potential for defects, just like any object built by the hands of humans.
So what do you think? What would a caravan built by a fleet of robots look like? Would it be perfectly constructed and futuristic in design and functionality?
My take: for a fleet of robots to take over caravan production, they only need to be cheap enough, reliable enough, and productive enough. Capitalism will take care of the rest, sadly. It’ s a brave new world.
Caravans built by robots? Would Australians stand for that? What do you think? Write to info @ gorv. com. au to share your thoughts with our readers!
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