Lawmakers Should Allow Sidewalk Delivery Robots to Stay

Disir

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Sep 30, 2011
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Starship Technologies, the U.S.-Estonian maker of autonomous sidewalk delivery robots, announced in January that it had completed 1 million deliveries since its founding in 2014. This is remarkable growth as it was only six months earlier that the company had completed 500,000 deliveries. While much of this growth has been driven by the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting desire for safe, contactless delivery, it also reflects the rapid evolution of technologies like robotics, computer vision and machine learning that are creating new opportunities for innovation in the use of autonomous robots for last-mile delivery.

Unfortunately, the laws and regulations for these technologies have not always kept pace in the U.S. — in some cases, policymakers are even erecting barriers to the deployment of sidewalk robots. State and local governments have generally taken one of four different approaches to these technologies.

The majority have simply done nothing. Indeed, this is a compelling option for policymakers who want to “do no harm.” Whether intentional or because lawmakers are focused on other priorities, wait-and-see is a perfectly reasonable option for regulating nascent industries that are still developing and present no obvious severe and irreversible risks.

I didn't realize that this was a thing. Apparently it is. I will probably not see it for a long time, if ever, where I am at. This is supposed to be only opposed by those that are working those jobs. The author of the article doesn't provide any evidence that this creates higher paying jobs.
 
Starship Technologies, the U.S.-Estonian maker of autonomous sidewalk delivery robots, announced in January that it had completed 1 million deliveries since its founding in 2014. This is remarkable growth as it was only six months earlier that the company had completed 500,000 deliveries. While much of this growth has been driven by the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting desire for safe, contactless delivery, it also reflects the rapid evolution of technologies like robotics, computer vision and machine learning that are creating new opportunities for innovation in the use of autonomous robots for last-mile delivery.

Unfortunately, the laws and regulations for these technologies have not always kept pace in the U.S. — in some cases, policymakers are even erecting barriers to the deployment of sidewalk robots. State and local governments have generally taken one of four different approaches to these technologies.

The majority have simply done nothing. Indeed, this is a compelling option for policymakers who want to “do no harm.” Whether intentional or because lawmakers are focused on other priorities, wait-and-see is a perfectly reasonable option for regulating nascent industries that are still developing and present no obvious severe and irreversible risks.

I didn't realize that this was a thing. Apparently it is. I will probably not see it for a long time, if ever, where I am at. This is supposed to be only opposed by those that are working those jobs. The author of the article doesn't provide any evidence that this creates higher paying jobs.


Strangely, while big on technology, I kinda hate AI and robots. I have no desire to serve either. Turned down a job once working for Seimens Robotics. If sidewalk robots and delivery drones become common, you can count on me to fuck them up wherever I see them. Same goes for robotic self-driving cars. Fuck 'em all.

I'm all for technology to do the things that man himself can't, I have no use for technology created just to cut jobs, save money from hiring people, and to make lazy people even lazier.



Screen Shot 2021-04-11 at 12.35.15 PM.png
 
Starship Technologies, the U.S.-Estonian maker of autonomous sidewalk delivery robots, announced in January that it had completed 1 million deliveries since its founding in 2014. This is remarkable growth as it was only six months earlier that the company had completed 500,000 deliveries. While much of this growth has been driven by the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting desire for safe, contactless delivery, it also reflects the rapid evolution of technologies like robotics, computer vision and machine learning that are creating new opportunities for innovation in the use of autonomous robots for last-mile delivery.

Unfortunately, the laws and regulations for these technologies have not always kept pace in the U.S. — in some cases, policymakers are even erecting barriers to the deployment of sidewalk robots. State and local governments have generally taken one of four different approaches to these technologies.

The majority have simply done nothing. Indeed, this is a compelling option for policymakers who want to “do no harm.” Whether intentional or because lawmakers are focused on other priorities, wait-and-see is a perfectly reasonable option for regulating nascent industries that are still developing and present no obvious severe and irreversible risks.

I didn't realize that this was a thing. Apparently it is. I will probably not see it for a long time, if ever, where I am at. This is supposed to be only opposed by those that are working those jobs. The author of the article doesn't provide any evidence that this creates higher paying jobs.


Strangely, while big on technology, I kinda hate AI and robots. I have no desire to serve either. Turned down a job once working for Seimens Robotics. If sidewalk robots and delivery drones become common, you can count on me to fuck them up wherever I see them. Same goes for robotic self-driving cars. Fuck 'em all.

I'm all for technology to do the things that man himself can't, I have no use for technology created just to cut jobs, save money from hiring people, and to make lazy people even lazier.



View attachment 478857

I would kind of like to know how they manage to keep someone from picking it up and destroying it.

I'm actually kind of surprised that we have four different types of legislation that address it.
 
Starship Technologies, the U.S.-Estonian maker of autonomous sidewalk delivery robots, announced in January that it had completed 1 million deliveries since its founding in 2014. This is remarkable growth as it was only six months earlier that the company had completed 500,000 deliveries. While much of this growth has been driven by the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting desire for safe, contactless delivery, it also reflects the rapid evolution of technologies like robotics, computer vision and machine learning that are creating new opportunities for innovation in the use of autonomous robots for last-mile delivery.

Unfortunately, the laws and regulations for these technologies have not always kept pace in the U.S. — in some cases, policymakers are even erecting barriers to the deployment of sidewalk robots. State and local governments have generally taken one of four different approaches to these technologies.

The majority have simply done nothing. Indeed, this is a compelling option for policymakers who want to “do no harm.” Whether intentional or because lawmakers are focused on other priorities, wait-and-see is a perfectly reasonable option for regulating nascent industries that are still developing and present no obvious severe and irreversible risks.

I didn't realize that this was a thing. Apparently it is. I will probably not see it for a long time, if ever, where I am at. This is supposed to be only opposed by those that are working those jobs. The author of the article doesn't provide any evidence that this creates higher paying jobs.


Strangely, while big on technology, I kinda hate AI and robots. I have no desire to serve either. Turned down a job once working for Seimens Robotics. If sidewalk robots and delivery drones become common, you can count on me to fuck them up wherever I see them. Same goes for robotic self-driving cars. Fuck 'em all.

I'm all for technology to do the things that man himself can't, I have no use for technology created just to cut jobs, save money from hiring people, and to make lazy people even lazier.



View attachment 478857

I would kind of like to know how they manage to keep someone from picking it up and destroying it.

I'm actually kind of surprised that we have four different types of legislation that address it.




Well, these things aren't exactly light and are built robust, but I'm sure they also come with recording cameras who try to collect the actions of anyone around them--- spying, in other words, all the more reason to hate them.

I've noticed that 90% of what goes on in this world no one actually wants or asks for, we just "get it" from our representatives and you are expected to learn to live with it.

I for one have no desire to live in a world shared by semi-conscious, rude, demanding, intransigent automatons who only serve to make my life more difficult at my expense in order to make someone else's easier.
 

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