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Mercedes-Benz Swaps Robots For People On Assembly Lines (theguardian.com)

Posted by timothy on from the horses-for-courses dept.

The usual narrative in the last few years is that robots relentlessly displace humans in today's highly mechanized workplaces (like factories and mines), but sometimes robots' speed and dexterity can't overcome their basic problem -- namely, they're robots. Reader jones_supa writes with this story from The Guardian about why robots aren't always the right tool, excerpting: Bucking modern manufacturing trends, carmaker Mercedes-Benz has been forced to trade in some of its assembly line robots for more flexible humans. The robots cannot handle the pace of change and the complexity of the key customization options available for the company's S-Class saloon at the 101-year-old Sindelfingen plant, which produces 400,000 vehicles a year from 1,500 tons of steel a day. The dizzying number of options for the cars – from heated or cooled cup holders, various wheels, carbon-fibre trims and decals, and even four types of caps for tire valves – demand adaptability, a quality that is still more easily fulfilled by humans than robots.

5 of 156 comments (clear)

  1. Predictable... by __aaclcg7560 · · Score: 5, Funny

    The robots wanted better working conditions and got replaced by humans. Damn corporations!

  2. Some jobs will always be safe by rmdingler · · Score: 4, Interesting
    The threshold for profitable robotic replacement does keep dropping.

    People are flawed creatures capable of manufacturing more profitable iterations of themselves for the workplace.

    What jobs are safest?

    --
    Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know.

    Ernest Hemingway

    1. Re:Some jobs will always be safe by Viol8 · · Score: 5, Interesting

      "What jobs are safest?"

      Robot programming? Until they can program themselves of course.

      Of course once enough blue & white collar people are put out of work by automation and a threshold is crossed whereby massive social unrest ensues then the standard corporate goal of reducing costs no matter what will have to be re-evaluated. Either voluntarily or by force.

    2. Re:Some jobs will always be safe by MasseKid · · Score: 5, Informative

      If we can have Robots that make everything for nothing, including themselves, then we will be in a Utopia as no one will have want for anything. If there is a dictatorship (economic or not) that keeps people from having things that are no longer a scare resource, that is a problem that has nothing to do with robotics.

  3. not replacing robots by Gravis+Zero · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Mercedes is shifting to what it calls “robot farming” - equipping workers with an array of smaller, lighter machines. ...
    The change will mean smaller, more flexible systems that work side-by-side with humans will replace some of the large traditional robotic machines, including in the production of the new Mercedes E-Class. A human or a lightweight machine will replace two fixed robots for the alignment of the car’s new heads-up display, which projects speed and directions on to the windshield.

    the basic problem is that Mercedes invested in large fixed machines that are limited in their abilities. they are temporarily relieving some of the large robots of certain duties to let more agile robots do the job. until the more agile robots are 100% ready, human will be assisting the robots.

    it's 2016 and it's about time companies start investing in manufacturing machines that have hands with dexterity equal to humans. also, robotics companies need to develop better programming interfaces so that the robots can be taught what to do rather than directly programmed.

    robots are still center stage here and humans are going to be on the sidelines again shortly.

    --
    Anons need not reply. Questions end with a question mark.