A new technology is hitting the skylines in New York and Tel Aviv—window washing robots. The new robot, called OZMO (due to its use of reverse osmosis to cleanse the dirt and chemicals from the windows, uses laser technology to map 3D spaces. This allows the laser to identify where the windows are on the high-rise buildings and map the contours of the building’s windows. The robotic arm is lowered down the side of the building by a single operator at the top. This means jobs that previously required 3-4 workers can now be done by a single person.
The OZNO currently sells for $500,000, which means building owners would not see their investment payoff (through reduced labor expenses) for up to 5 years. Meanwhile, human window washers are now concerned about their livelihoods. However, proponents of the new technology argue that due to current labor shortages in blue-collar fields, current window washers could simply be retrained as OZNO operators without causing too much job loss in the field.
Discussion Questions:
- Discuss how technological advances in one area of production affect productivity in other areas of the economy.
- What is the Luddite Fallacy, and how might it affect current window washers’ attitudes toward the new technology?
Source| CNBC: https://www.cnbc.com/2023/08/14/window-washing-robots-are-working-on-manhattan-skyscrapers.html?utm_content=Main&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=twitter%7Cmain&s=03; Unsplash: Photo by Victor on Unsplash