The word robot always conjures an image of Dot Matrix from Space Balls for me, but the robots Zappos has introduced to its workforce don't need piggyback rides when they're tired and we can be sure they are not equipped with virgin-alarms. The orange robots reside in the company's Kentucky warehouse and are part of the assembly line that packs the boxes containing your shoes.
The robots' job is to retrieve shoes from the warehouse and bring them to a person who packs the boxes, and another robot takes the completed box to another area to be shipped. Incorporating robots is seen by some as an effective way to cut down on costs to prevent US companies from outsourcing.
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What's the big deal?
I worked on an assembly line at a factory in 2000 and robotic arms had replaced 25% of the jobs there. For what takes 10 people, the robotic arms could do it with only two people working the machine.
They were faster but not always efficient because when they make a mistake, they don't notice it and stop. So the machine operators have to watch carefully. I spent numerous hours re-sealing packages that the robot had stamped wrong! One machine also had many mechanical problems and ran maybe once a week.
It takes a long time for them to pay for themself, because they are insanely expensive. The only way they even out is that they do not need benefits or insurance or risk injury.