Meet the future of burger flipping.

[DucatiMonster696]

Where there is a will there is a way. Artificially pushing up costs on producers for low to no skill jobs will only force them to seek other alternative avenues to cut costs. If that means employing technology to reduce positions which have been artificially made more expensive than the value they provide in labor then technology will be used to reduce that cost and eliminate those positions. So in the rush to deploy good intentions to "benefit" the poor you will inevitably force many of them out of their jobs as employers seek to cut costs in order to maintain their profit margins and stay competitive price wise with their competition.

The San Francisco-based robotics company debuted its burger-preparing machine last year. It can whip up hundreds of burgers an hour, take custom orders, and it uses top-shelf ingredients for its inputs. Now Momentum is proposing a chain of ‘smart restaurants’ that eschew human cooks altogether.

Food Beast points us to the Momentum’s official release, where the company blares:

“Fast food doesn’t have to have a negative connotation anymore. With our technology, a restaurant can offer gourmet quality burgers at fast food prices. Our alpha machine replaces all of the hamburger line cooks in a restaurant. It does everything employees can do except better.”

And what might this robotic burger cook of the future do better than the slow, inefficient, wage-sucking line cooks of yore?
It slices toppings like tomatoes and pickles only immediately before it places the slice onto your burger, giving you the freshest burger possible.
…custom meat grinds for every single customer. Want a patty with 1/3 pork and 2/3 bison ground after you place your order? No problem.
It’s more consistent, more sanitary, and can produce ~360 hamburgers per hour.

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-...t-minimum-wage-crushing-burger-flipping-robot

 

[michal1980]

I want one for my house.

 

[ivwshane]

So explain how one of those would work in a current fast food chain? They typically don't use fresh produce and most of the stuff they have is already pre cut.

Your post is stupid.

 

[cubby1223]

So explain how one of those would work in a current fast food chain? They typically don't use fresh produce and most of the stuff they have is already pre cut.

They figure out how to incorporate it in or else lose customers to the cheaper burger place next door.

Your post is stupid.

Your response is worse.

Automation is replacing the no or low-skill workers. There would have to be a consumer revolt to stop it. I don't foresee consumers revolting anytime soon.

The history of McDonald's has been to use machinery to automate the food making process. They will continue to make further automation to their business. McDonald's in my town recently added a machine to automate drinks, when the order comes in, the correct size cup falls into a conveyer, ice is added, and taken along to the correct drink, it's dispensed, then brought around front. Automated. McDonald's may not be buying this particular burger making machine, but you can bet your damn life savings they have people working on one.


So, congrats on proving you have zero knowledge on the subject, only capable of hurling generic insults when something doesn't seem to quite fit your perspective. We are so very proud of you! We are all blessed to have heard your opinions and insightful commentary.

 

[rudder]

If it weren't for cheap migrant labor... Places like strawberry farms would have been mechanized long ago. People in fast food will soon find out that an automated machine can drop fries just as effectively. There is a reason these type of jobs only pay minimum wage.

 

[compuwiz1]

If it weren't for cheap migrant labor... Places like strawberry farms would have been mechanized long ago. People in fast food will soon find out that an automated machine can drop fries just as effectively. There is a reason these type of jobs only pay minimum wage.

If it's within our grasp to have automated labor for making burgers, I'd suggest those people wanting $15 per hour STFU, lest they wind up wishing they still had that job that paid whatever minimum wage used to be.

 

[theeedude]

If it's within our grasp to have automated labor for making burgers, I'd suggest those people wanting $15 per hour STFU, lest they wind up wishing they still had that job that paid whatever minimum wage used to be.

If McDonalds can run with fewer workers with automation, they can afford to pay those workers more.

 

[sandorski]

Since the Job growth has been in flipping burgers, the real question is what to do with all those unemployed when even their crappy Jobs are gone?

I'll also point out that there's no Wage pressure pushing McDonalds/Others to Mechanize burger flipping. It is simply affordable Technology that will bring about such a change.

So again, what do you do with all those people?

 

[theeedude]

Since the Job growth has been in flipping burgers, the real question is what to do with all those unemployed when even their crappy Jobs are gone?

I'll also point out that there's no Wage pressure pushing McDonalds/Others to Mechanize burger flipping. It is simply affordable Technology that will bring about such a change.

So again, what do you do with all those people?

Somebody has to eat all those cheap burgers.

 

[Tsavo]

If McDonalds can run with fewer workers with automation, they can afford to pay those workers more.

They aren't even worth what they are paid. I only get an order filled out correctly the first time about 50% of the time. It's a joke of a job, so everyone should excel at it, but most of them can't perform the simplest of tasks without screwing up.

 

[theeedude]

They aren't even worth what they are paid. I only get an order filled out correctly the first time about 50% of the time. It's a joke of a job, so everyone should excel at it, but most of them can't perform the simplest of tasks without screwing up.

So why do you keep going back?

 

[Tsavo]

So why do you keep going back?

Are you put off because the only job you can get is going to be outsourced to a burgerbot? Seems like it.

 

[theeedude]

Are you put off because the only job you can get is going to be outsourced to a burgerbot? Seems like it.

I am an engineer in Silicon Valley. We are the ones building computers to outsource your job to a robot 🙂

 

[Blackjack200]

I can't wait till they get to the point where they feed cows in one end of the machine and burgers come out the other.

Automation is nothing new in the food service industry. Why is this discussion-worthy?

 

[shady28]

If McDonalds can run with fewer workers with automation, they can afford to pay those workers more.

And they will get paid more, but again they won't be the same workers that are there now.

They'll have AA's in electronics tech, so when the machines break they can either fix them or at least understand instructions from a central support group. They'll probably make $20/hr+, and it will just take one of the to run the whole shop.

Burger-flippers, welcome to the world of pricing yourself out of a job. You are on a path that is well trodden, many have come before you.

Hello, I'm a controls engineer, it's my job to replace people like you with a machine.


Label applicator - people once were paid to slap labels onto cartons being shipped. Not so much anymore :

Anyone here ever worked as a forklift driver? Well, there's been an alternative to you for ~20 years. Plenty of lift drivers still around though. Go ahead, form a union, more work for me :

Of course, this has been around for what 40 years? They just keep getting better though. Wonder how many jobs this thing replaced (those are cows being milked):

You know those warehouse jobs where people run around and pick orders out of bins and put them in cartons to ship? Those are still around, but not so much anymore :

"viapick, a fully-automated picking system, replaces the traditional picker. viapick performs Pick’n’Pack, which involves reaching into storage containers, removing the desired products, and placing them into the designated shipping carton or order container."

I could go on and on. I mean, does anyone think when you order custom embroidery that there's some little old lady sewing it in? Heck no, someone draws it on a screen or a pattern - machines have done the sewing for 30 years.

When you can take that kind of stuff and automate it, does anyone really think given an economic justification, that frying a burger can't be automated?

 

[sandorski]

And they will get paid more, but again they won't be the same workers that are there now.

They'll have AA's in electronics tech, so when the machines break they can either fix them or at least understand instructions from a central support group. They'll probably make $20/hr+, and it will just take one of the to run the whole shop.

Burger-flippers, welcome to the world of pricing yourself out of a job. You are on a path that is well trodden, many have come before you.

Hello, I'm a controls engineer, it's my job to replace people like you with a machine.


Label applicator - people once were paid to slap labels onto cartons being shipped. Not so much anymore :

Anyone here ever worked as a forklift driver? Well, there's been an alternative to you for ~20 years. Plenty of lift drivers still around though. Go ahead, form a union, more work for me :

Of course, this has been around for what 40 years? They just keep getting better though. Wonder how many jobs this thing replaced (those are cows being milked):

You know those warehouse jobs where people run around and pick orders out of bins and put them in cartons to ship? Those are still around, but not so much anymore :

"viapick, a fully-automated picking system, replaces the traditional picker. viapick performs Pick’n’Pack, which involves reaching into storage containers, removing the desired products, and placing them into the designated shipping carton or order container."

I could go on and on. I mean, does anyone think when you order custom embroidery that there's some little old lady sewing it in? Heck no, someone draws it on a screen or a pattern - machines have done the sewing for 30 years.

When you can take that kind of stuff and automate it, does anyone really think given an economic justification, that frying a burger can't be automated?

How are they doing this?

 

[row]

I am an engineer in Silicon Valley.

the discussion is not about what time sanitation engineers take out the trash 😉

We are the ones building computers to outsource your job to a robot 🙂

actually. you're not. most silicon valley jobs went overseas long ago 🙂

 

[theeedude]

And they will get paid more, but again they won't be the same workers that are there now.

They'll have AA's in electronics tech, so when the machines break they can either fix them or at least understand instructions from a central support group. They'll probably make $20/hr+, and it will just take one of the to run the whole shop.

Burger-flippers, welcome to the world of pricing yourself out of a job. You are on a path that is well trodden, many have come before you.

Hello, I'm a controls engineer, it's my job to replace people like you with a machine.


Label applicator - people once were paid to slap labels onto cartons being shipped. Not so much anymore :

Anyone here ever worked as a forklift driver? Well, there's been an alternative to you for ~20 years. Plenty of lift drivers still around though. Go ahead, form a union, more work for me :

Of course, this has been around for what 40 years? They just keep getting better though. Wonder how many jobs this thing replaced (those are cows being milked):

You know those warehouse jobs where people run around and pick orders out of bins and put them in cartons to ship? Those are still around, but not so much anymore :

"viapick, a fully-automated picking system, replaces the traditional picker. viapick performs Pick’n’Pack, which involves reaching into storage containers, removing the desired products, and placing them into the designated shipping carton or order container."

I could go on and on. I mean, does anyone think when you order custom embroidery that there's some little old lady sewing it in? Heck no, someone draws it on a screen or a pattern - machines have done the sewing for 30 years.

When you can take that kind of stuff and automate it, does anyone really think given an economic justification, that frying a burger can't be automated?

If it can be automated to do things cheaper or better, it should be. And people flipping burgers now should go to school and get AAs to run the burger flipping machines. Higher minimum wage is an incentive to both increase automation, and for workers to improve their skills to justify the higher pay. There are a lot of high tech jobs that don't exist anymore too because of computer automation, those people had to learn new skills, like using computer aided design tools. The flip side of the coin is that now a lot of small companies can afford to do things that before required hundreds of employees.
I don't think we should look at automation solely as a threat to jobs or a method do suppress wages. Automation can and should increase the quality of life in society, not do the opposite.

 

[theeedude]

the discussion is not about what time sanitation engineers take out the trash 😉
actually. you're not. most silicon valley jobs went overseas long ago 🙂

Oh yeah? Then why is an average house close to a million dollars here? :biggrin:

 

[row]

Oh yeah? Then why is an average house close to a million dollars here? :biggrin:

don't start talking about bay area prices, my parents bought their first house 50 years ago in hayward...$9000, single story, but with full attic and basement, huge yard. valued at over $350K now 😡

sorry about the ot

 

[BoberFett]

So explain how one of those would work in a current fast food chain? They typically don't use fresh produce and most of the stuff they have is already pre cut.

Your post is stupid.

Ice cube makers will never catch on. People still want their ice cube the old fashioned way, cut by hand!

 

[BoberFett]

If McDonalds can run with fewer workers with automation, they can afford to pay those workers more.

That may well be. They may want one highly paid worker instead of five low paid ones.

However that does mean fewer jobs, so the Democrat line about minimum wage not affecting unemployment is looking less and less believable all the time.

 

[BoberFett]

I am an engineer in Silicon Valley. We are the ones building computers to outsource your job to a robot 🙂

So you advocate your own head on a pike when the revolution comes, eh you capitalist pig?

 

[woolfe9998]

Welcome to the 21st century. Automation can and will continue to eliminate jobs. It may create 1 skilled job in engineering or machine maintenance for every 5 it eliminates, but the math is inexorable.

The problem with the OP's point is that it is inevitable. Even if you don't bother raising the minimum wage or increasing their salaries, eventually the machines will be more cost-effective. Maybe not if they work for $1/hr but this isn't the third world and no-one can live off that.

Machines doing check out at grocery stores, chat-boxes handling customer service, robots cleaning houses. They only improve over time.

Since the elimination of jobs through automation cannot be avoided in the future, the long term question is what happens to all these people who are out of jobs.

 

[BoberFett]

How are they doing this?

By raising minimum wage, obviously. Those former burger flippers, order pickers, and forklift drivers, due to their higher wages, have gone on to design and build the robots of the future. Clearly the answer is continuing to raise minimum wage further.