Technology and Male Labour

I've been discussing in recent blog posts in regards to the changes technology will have not only on the job market but on gender relations. Some people are not convinced about what I'm proposing. That's fine as I will let the evidence continue to speak for me. The latest is the simple lawn mower.

Illinois is procuring $42k lawn mowers which are described as huge Roombas. What is it that the state is saying? It "reduces costs" and reduces "safety risks".

The machines have performed well and so far have been low maintenance, said Kerry Brown, a tollway maintenance section manager.

While the Spider has been cost-effective compared with traditional landscaping, the big advantage has been reducing the risk of accidents and injuries, Brown said.

I've said that these will be the first line arguments for replacing humans with machines. Not that I object to safer, but there are ways to deal with embankments that do not involve robots. Understand that this is an effort to remove the fallible and liable human element.

For now the robots are remote controlled by a person with a "joystick" who can be a football field away. I call that a "design flaw" that will eventually be fixed. With computers as powerful as they are, there is no reason why the "roomba" cannot be equipped with GPS and a telematics system to navigate it's given terrain.

Just as you see tractors left out on the highways between grass cuttings expect these rechargeable grass cutters to be assigned a certain amount of acreage and be put on a schedule (as we saw in I, Robot) and go off to cut grass unattended and then return to recharge via solar power for the next run. A human will only be needed for repairs (for the time being).

And of course once the technology goes mainstream the costs will go down from $42K to less than any full time worker would be willing to work for. Entire landscaping crews all over the country, mostly men will be out of employment and that market will cease to exist as a job engine.

Oh and wait until the snow plows get telematic systems..... "No, we don't need you to cut the grass." "No, we don't need you to drive the plow all day/night."

"So what do I do?"

"Perhaps go sign up for college...and the loans that come with it."