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Hydrodemolition Robot Crushes With Water

Posted by simoniker on from the supersoaker-with-extra-evisceration dept.

Roland Piquepaille writes "In 'Robot pummels roads with water', the Augusta Chronicle says that a hydrodemolition robot is going to restore seven bridges in Georgia. "It's a robot that destroys everything in its path with a crushing stream of water 15 times more powerful than a jackhammer. The robot looks like a street cleaner machine on steroids and is expected to begin use August 1 to resurface seven bridges on Gordon Highway from Walton Way to the bridge at the South Carolina state line." This kind of robot needs only two workers to operate it, instead of 15 workers for a jackhammer, is less noisy and more gentle for the foundations. You'll find more details in this summary."

4 of 292 comments (clear)

  1. Good for water-rich areas, not for deserts by Mr.+McGibby · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Folks who've never lived in a desert don't seem to understand how valuable water is in some parts of the country. While the article mentions that they water is reclaimed later by workers, in someplace like Utah or Arizona, I'm sure thousands of gallons are lost through evaporation before that can happen.

    --
    Mad Software: Rantings on Developing So
  2. this bring up something interesting by geekoid · · Score: 4, Insightful

    What do we do with the poeple who are replced with automation?
    The normal response is there will be 15 people working for the company that makes the automated product, but thats not true.

    If I created a device that flips burgers, and cost less then maintaining a staff, people will buy it, and it will replaces millions of workes, far more then it would take to build the things.
    I'm not saying we shouldn't automate, I'm just asking what do we do as our jobs per person keeps declining?

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    The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
    1. Re:this bring up something interesting by orthogonal · · Score: 4, Insightful

      If I created a device that flips burgers, and cost less then maintaining a staff, people will buy it, and it will replaces millions of workes, far more then it would take to build the things.
      I'm not saying we shouldn't automate, I'm just asking what do we do as our jobs per person keeps declining?

      Yes, I remember how gramps lost his job making buggy whips when, 100 years ago today, Ford Motor Company incorporated.

      Fortunately, by 1904 he was able to get a job writing C.

      What, you say C wasn't invented until the 1970s?

      Oh, yeah, he got a job running an MRI.

      Oh, wait, I mean, in a genetics lab.

      No, that's not right....

      Getting rid of laborious, boring, physically punishing jobs that put people in early graves -- look up the etymology of "top-notch" for a real horror, and be glad we've forgotten how that phrase came to be --, and which can be done better, cheap, and faster by machine, is one of the great triumphs, along with medicine and leisure time, of technology.

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  3. Maybe I'm missing something by as0k · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Alright, I'm sure someone has the answer to this... what makes this thing a 'robot' as opposed to say... just a big fscking tool?

    I mean, it still takes to people to operate it, so it's by no means autonomous.

    As0k
    Self improvement is masturbation... therefore masturbation is self improvement...*zip*