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Coming Soon — Cyborg Farmers
palegray.net writes Robots.net covers an article about robotic exoskeletons for Japanese farmers. These exoskeletons would provide increased strength and support for manual labor intensive tasks. More information can also be found at robots-dreams.com. 'The robotic suit relies on ultrasonic motors along with various sensors and wireless networking gear. [...] The mass-produced version of the suit is expected to weigh in at 8 kilograms and cost about 200,000 yen.'"
I for one welcome our new cyborg farming overlords.
200,000 Yen =~ $1800. Where is my exoskeleton. I would imagine something like the exoskeleton suit from the Aliens series would be quite useful.
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I thought the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture wasn't in charge of Gundam.
Are they just motors we can't hear? Or was the article written by a science illiterate who includes words that he thinks sound scientific?
and sometimes speak Bocce...
Not the first time Japanese agriculture spins out some interesting stuff. Check out their UAV helicopters: http://www.gizmag.com/go/2440/.
The world is made by those who show up for the job.
Something about this sounds fishy.... I find it hard to believe that it would cost less than $2,000 to turn in to RoboCop.
these robotic suits are used to record all the data necessary to train robots to do the same work?
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The Onion got it right.
Patrick Doyle
I mod down every jackass who puts his moderation policy in his sig. Oh, wait a sec....
you Bitch!!
I feel sorry for people that don't drink, because when they get up in the morning, that's as good as they're gonna feel
Also, at $1800 per, your not going to see people investing in these when they can just hire some cheap child labor.
I want to be able to upload mine with dance moves developed after my latest self-education in 1985 and have it teach them to me (motors on) then grade my progress (motors off).
This is the worst I've misread a summary yet... And oddly, probably the most accurate misread also.
I read it: "The mass-produced version of the weapon is expected"
Scary.
"If you make people think they're thinking, they'll love you; But if you really make them think, they'll hate you." - DM
In America these are called tractors. http://www.deere.com/servlet/ProdCatProduct?tM=FR&pNbr=9630_RW
If you are going to use a machine to help you don't use a small thing you put on like a coat use a BIG machine the size of a house and get more work done faster.
The point of a machine is to reduce the need for manual labor.
When walking won't get you there fast enough you don't use a 200,000 yen exoskeleton suit to help you run faster, you ride a bike which can be had for under $300 new.
It is like they intentionally tried to find the most complicated solution. I do not down play the accomplishment or the coolness of it but must admit that I don't get it.
What is it with the Japanese and the giant fighting robots?
The japanese farmers would be much better off with Sakkra with their +1 food production bonus, the subterranean bonus would be perfect for crowded japan, and as another bonus, they'd make a good militia whenever Godzilla comes to town.
I can't help but think (sorry, I work in the field): powerful motors strapped to a person's body, combined with "wireless network gear" (although this last bit is not in TFA)... hmmm, they better make sure this "suit" is intrinsically secure, ie it cannot possibly make motions exceeding the wearer's physical limits, not matter how badly the software malfunctions or is compromised. :/ /.), this looks cool indeed...
Otherwise we could very well have someone eventually end up in intensive care because of a computer virus infection.
That said, in a very geeky sense (hey, this is
Countdown to totally bizarre robotically-assisted Japanese porn animation in 3 ... 2 ... 1 ...
I hope I wasn't really the ONLY one whose first thought was "well that pretty much decides the whole illegal immigrant discussion once the migrant workers get cybernetic exoskeletons"...
I, for one, welcome our cybernetic illegal immigrant overlords.
um... I mean... I, para uno, dan la bienvenida a nuestros overlords inmigrantes ilegales cibernéticos.
(thanks babelfish)
Japanese farmers driving exoskeletons?
Don't I seem to recall something else Japanese farmers are famous for?
Oh, that's right. Ninjas.
Nothing but awesome can come from this.
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8kg is ridulously light for an exoskeleton that can increase the strength of its wearer significantly. The power source alone would have to be much heavier (its designed to work outdoors, so no wired power). For comparison, the Apollo space suits weighed about 80kg.
Or it could be an indication this is BS...
If we can put a man on the moon, why can't we shoot people for Apollo-related non-sequiturs?
I thought they were celebrating BECAUSE they drove off invaders with them.
Slow down, cowboy! It has been 4 hours since you last posted. You must wait another few hours.
The greatest life-changing benefit I can see for these are for the disabled - quadriplegics, paraplegics, stroke victims, those weakened by various conditions. They don't need super-strength, but being able to get around town without a walker or wheel-chair would be massively life-enhancing for millions. For astronauts on Fred, or future Mars explorers, these devices would help tremendously in extending their capabilities for assembly, and for exploration. Then of course, there are construction workers.
didn't they call it "HAL" or was that another robot assistant? What do you think you're doing Dave?
Sigs are too short to say anything truly profound so read the above post instead.
While this suit is totally cool, I think bigger, mass-production robots like this rice-planting robot are far more practical. The robot suit is indeed a technological breakthrough, but I think robots that can help more than one person at a time are far more valuable. Or, check out these weed-killers.
Health Insurance Quotes
Maybe it's just me, but most robots I've seen aren't that strong. Most can be outdone pretty easily by a human the is in good shape. There are some strong robots, but they are extremely large, and not the kind that could be worked into a suit that would be worn by a human. Also, what advantage does this offer over typical farm machinery that isn't in a human exoskeleton form factor?
Anthropic principle: We see the universe the way it is because if it were different we would not be here to see it.
Yes but, how will they fare against the Pirate-Monkey hybrid Farmers?
Pity the farmer's dogs.
mcgrew's razor: Never attribute to stupidity that which can be explained by greedy self-interest
Given the average farm hand needs 2000 calories to maintain homeostasis and at least that much for accoutrement (clothing, etc.), the machine has to run on less than 4000 calories a day of energy, including its energy investment as an object.
I'm not saying one way or the other, but the analysis needs to be made before we can welcome such cyborg farmworker overlords.
RS
Shoes for Industry. Shoes for the Dead.
I watched a movie about this recently. "RoboCrop", I think it was called.
Its a motor assisted weight lifting harness ("exoskeleton"? come on...) for aging farmers who struggle with manual farming tasks due to decreased muscle strength. Given the average height of the generation its aimed at and the tasks its designed for (pulling radishes out of the ground, lifting 10Kg sacks of rice) it hardly amounts to Robocop or Gundam. Nevertheless I hope it doesn't run Windows as its OS, if it has an OS. I would hate to see elderly farmers brought into hospitals with their limbs rotated at strange angles.
Farmer Joe
This is a sure sign things are getting bad in Japan. Back in the day farmers would just have a bunch of children and they'd help out on the farm. So now instead of rutting their wives and getting some help the old fashioned way Farmers have to turn to cyborg technology.
It's all well and good for the current generation but who'll tend the fields when the Cyborg's dead and buried?
I have nothing compelling to say
Having an exoskeleton does not mean you are a cybernetic organism. Just ask a turtle.
8kg is ridulously light for an exoskeleton that can increase the strength of its wearer significantly. The power source alone would have to be much heavier (its designed to work outdoors, so no wired power). For comparison, the Apollo space suits weighed about 80kg.
If we can put a man on the moon, why can't we shoot people for Apollo-related non-sequiturs?
Don't shoot yourself, suicide is still illegal.
mcgrew's razor: Never attribute to stupidity that which can be explained by greedy self-interest
Japan GDP per capita is $33000 (2006 est.)
Japan's GINI index is 38.1 .
GINI is a measure of inequality of income distribution or inequality of wealth distribution. The lower, the more equally GDP is distributed.
In Japan 127,433,494 people are packed in 374,744 sq km. Compare that to the US, in which 301,139,947 people are spread over 9,161,923 sq km.
Housing in Japan costs 3-5 times more than it costs in US. Japanese compensate by living in tiny apartments.
US's GDP per capita is GDP $43,800 (2006 est.)
US's GINI is 45, which is not that bad when compared to Japan's, especially if one considers Norway's or Sweden's GINI (25-26).
I would not call the Japanese the wealthiest people in the world.
Wanna find out which nation has the wealthiest population? Start looking towards the direction of UAE and Norway.
References:
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ja.html
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/us.html
This is just what we need. A cheap exo-skeleton that anyone can buy and wear all the time. Once it becomes popular people will think they are the six million dollar man, lifting things over their heads.
Of course over the next couple of hundred years we will evolve into nothing more than a brain and some nerve endings that will activate the exo-skeleton's. Wonder when they will start making them look like Daleks. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dalek
If a corporation can get 3 time the work out of an employee
they can terminate 2/3 of the work force
so lets say each employee makes 30k per year and you have 100
over 3 years that's 1,980,000 in payroll you don't have to pay
-- I am the NRA, enough said...
So many times I see people predicting the future wrong for one reason: they consider what is possible instead of what is economic. The only way there will ever be farmers in robotic exoskeletons is if the increased yield from their fields due to the robot suit is enough to offset the cost.
Never gonna happen. Not even worth talking about.
The source article says 18 kg, not 8 kg. 8 kilo might get you a wheelbarrow.
"weighs 18 kg (just under 40 pounds)"
- http://www.robots-dreams.com/2008/01/new-robot-suit.html
Once the machines do all of our farming, transportation of goods, preservation of goods, and reparation of other machines.. There is nobody left to pay for food.. One giant, self filling, solar powered vending machine. Eventually they'll build our houses, and basic citizenship will include food and shelter.
Must make sure my Old Glory Insurance is current.
"Vaporators! Sir - My first job was programming binary load lifters... very similar to your vaporators in most respects."
"Flyin' in just a sweet place,
Never been known to fail..."
Get away from her, you B*tch !!
In other major currencies 200 000 yen is approximately
950 UK Pounds
1250 Euros
44850 Rubles
72300 Rupees
13400 Yuan
20150 Mexican Pesos
HAL.
Got them moderator blues I blieve I walk out the do', With these mod-points I been gettin', I 'most never post no mo'
The definition of a cyborg is someone with embedded or implanted
technolgy.
They are not cyborgs, but robotic assisted workers.
Just because I use a car to drive to work does not make me a cyborg.
But,..If I had my legs permently intergrated into a go-cart, that might
make me a cyborg.
I wonder if they will ever make a remote control for this thing?
... speed him up.
Worker not picking potatoes fast enough
Worker getting too close to your daughter, make him kiss the ground.
All without leaving the comfort of your front window!
The reason for this stupidity according to my friend: Japan (as admittedly a lot of countries do) has protectionist policies in place forcing rice and other crops to have to be produced in Japan. The cost of japanese rice versus the average is 7 times, but they have to produce it. Apparently it is cheaper to ruin the backs of people in a first world country then to risk not having control of your food supply - because you buy it from the close third world countries - in the advent of a war. Admittedly if I was like Japan and had crazies for neighbours (North Korea/China, government not the people) whom I recently pissed off by invading I might be worried about war preparedness as well.
Rutabagas coming in nicely... BOOYAH!
Is where is it going to be ABLE to work at? According to my guesstimates, the weight per square inch that will be applied with even 50% of the nominal working load would be roughly triple the amount a 4 wheel cart. We're talking two footpads, roughly 250% larger than the human foot. You know that we exert a lot of pounds/square inch on our feet so that is why they are so articulate. The feet on this monster would probably be semi flexible pads that would not be as flexible, therefore be rougher than hell on any terrain.
If you put one of those units onto unprepared ground (a field, dry or wet soil) it'll churn up the grasses and make bare ground. When it becomes wet, you get mud. Finally the lifter would sink up to it's knees because of its high load footprint. Take a Mule or a similarly tracked vehicle and it'll just dance across the terrain on either tracks of balloon tires.
I can see lifters at work on concrete or similarly prepared ground, but not out the boondocks where it'll get hung in the mud or swamp.
First rule of holes; When in one, stop digging.
Someone made a good point. This suit will come in handy for older folks. Japan has a low birth rate, long life expectancy and the government is encourage people to work after retirement.
Don't they watch their own movies in Japan? They know how this is going to end! Egad.
...unless and until a portable power source can be devised to work with it. This is currently the biggest limitation of this kind of technology, in terms of distance and complexity of maneuvers. if your exo-suit has to be plugged in to a stationary power source (power outlet), then you are limited by the range of the power cord, and the cord will restrict movements to some degree as well. Becoming accidentally unplugged (or otherwise having your power connection severed) in the middle of hoisting hundreds of pounds could be a very bad thing.
Someone invent a portable, relatively quiet and dependable power source, and THEN we'll start to see some really cool possibilities.
At least we'll know what to do when ice-beam wielding aliens invade the farmlands.
If you have a (d)SLR lying about, it most likely has one of those little buggers driving the focus mechanism. It might even say USM or something on the lens, short for UltraSonic Motor.
I, for one, welcome our cyborg farmer overlords!
If you were going to go this far for manual labor, why not take it a step further and motion capture it for use with an AI driven control system later on. As long as the system knows the proper motions and when/where to apply them, the exoskeleton should be able to do the work itself as a playable macro.
8==8 Bones 8==8
Well, on my spread I got a heard of about 150 cyborgs on the south forty, and I'm thinkin about rentin some more acreage from Clem and adding another hundred or so next year. I think I'll do them organic cyborgs and sell them at the farmer's market, cause I heard that you can make a lot more profit by going the organic route.
"I am an essential worker"
Next time your dentist needs to drill a cavity in your mouth, can I suggest he use this little puppy to do the job: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Tete-de-foreuse-p1010268.jpg. It's right in keeping with your suggest for a 30 series John Deere in a Japanese hort crop.
So, will this be a tool that you can buy in the upcoming Wii version of Harvest Moon? So that your lazy little guy will stop pooping out after roughly 2 minutes of labor?
Pirate 1: Arr, those be a nice pegleg and hook ye got thar.
Pirate 2:Yarr, they cost me an arm and a leg.
There are less young people going into farming these days. These suits will be good for aging farmers as well as maybe making it less backbreaking or more interesting to young people I'd think too.
Of course the real robotic farmer that can plant rice by himself? I dunno, the Emperor does that himself you know, can the robot really plant delicious rice? Rice has a spiritual place in Japanese religion too.
But my guess is this would be an excellent way to really test robots in the field especially when you aren't supposed to be military really.
The Japenese will get +2 research and be Creative. They will also suck at ground combat. Unless they put lasers on their exoskeletons.