I was at University of Kentucky (Lexington; 70 miles or so east of us here) for reasons I won't bore you with. Driving around campus trying to find our destination, I saw a couple of wheeled devices, about the size of a picnic cooler, which were obviously finding their own way around. They were crossing the street, zipping along the sidewalk, presumably making their own decisions about when it was safe to cross. While I was parking the car I watched one make a delivery, and a student standing outside his dorm opened it and took out a couple of hot Starbucks drinks.
Apparently about 7 campus eateries use these things to deliver food to students - Starbucks, Subway, Panda Express etc. My two thoughts in quick succession were 'How cool is that!' and 'How scary is that!'
Re: Robots IRL
Posted: Fri Apr 15, 2022 8:34 pm
by Bicycle Bill
That being said, there have been some setbacks.... (click the picture, and when you get to the video make sure the sound is turned on)
My two thoughts in quick succession were 'How cool is that!' and 'How scary is that!'
Why scary?
I mean, apart from BB's video.
Re: Robots IRL
Posted: Fri Apr 15, 2022 9:10 pm
by ex-khobar Andy
Scary in the sense that are college students now too lazy to walk to the coffee shop?
Yes yes they might be studying or something. But I suppose I have the same fear that I have for my daughter. She now works almost exclusively from home and of course her company saves on all sorts of employee costs such as desk space, lights and heating etc etc. After pretty much fifty years of going to the office or the lab or the university department every day, I miss the social interactions and just the fun of working with people to a common goal and I am saddened that my daughter does not have that; and by having your coffee delivered by a robot instead of going to the kitchen and making it yourself or walking five minutes to the local Starbucks you miss out on all the people you might bump into.
