Robots are coming for the job you don’t want #robots #jobs
Skyscrapers are built with steel frames and lots of glass. Cleaning that glass hasn’t changed much since the 1880s when these buildings first rose out of our previously short cities. The job pays well (at least, so they say in New York City.) But it’s hard work. Even worse, it’s tedious work. Many of the current professionals are approaching retirement age, and recruiting replacements is difficult.
So, here come the robots.
Some robots will use the sort of lifts humans do, but some plan to crawl along on suction cups.Small robots for residential windows are already available (and I’ll have to check them out – click here to see one option.) More than one company is about to put commercial robots on the market. They need human overseers at the moment, but I doubt that will last forever. The bots can work day and night, and don’t need time off for anything other than (I assume) regular maintenance or weather holds. They won’t use cleaning chemicals, and maybe won’t even need water.
The cleaning bots will also perform inspections and maintenance, look for cracked glass or air leaks, and use nifty technologies like LIDAR to detect and monitor structural problems.
For a long time, the world has feared technology will leave people unemployed and destitute. Will it finally happen? Hopefully, not the destitute part. So far, horses may be out of work, but people aren’t. The past can’t predict the future, but there’s reason to hope we’ll continue to have jobs… and continue to battle the diseases of affluence that seem to come with our modern lifestyle.
Now, I’m off to check out that residential window cleaning robot, because I wouldn’t mind replacing myself for that task.
