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Minus_the_details t1_irjnfdo wrote

Yeah, I can't imagine too many people in the company thought it would ever be street safe. Where Amazon will make its money is selling these things to warehouses or closed work zones like movie sets and construction sites.

Edit: I would argue the street tests were for publicity.

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MapleSyrupFacts t1_irkc8re wrote

I would love a tool bag that follows me around all day popping out screwdrivers and egging me on to fix shit.

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abarrelofmankeys t1_irl1n9g wrote

You can literally get a “backpack” that follows you around. It’s just stupid expensive and could be replaced with…well, a backpack. Could see it being useful if you have a disability though.

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NhylX t1_irkoega wrote

In a world where this happens https://www.cnn.com/2015/08/03/us/hitchbot-robot-beheaded-philadelphia-feat this thing didn't stand a chance.

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Saltywinterwind t1_irkvfok wrote

I love that lil robot who made it all a cross Canada with the help of tons of people to try to make it in America and got robbed and murdered in Philly lol it’s almost poetic

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BanditSixActual t1_irkxfd7 wrote

The City of Brotherly Love.

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Caffeine_Monster t1_irlxft2 wrote

It'll work eventually. The robots need enough smarts / maneuverability to be able to avoid danger or outpace violent pedestrians.

As is the current units are too slow and passive because they can't assess their environment very well.

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what595654 t1_irt9we5 wrote

Uhhh. No. You dont want autonomous robots that are faster or stronger than humans in public settings.

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Caffeine_Monster t1_irtjf4s wrote

Not stronger. And they would have to stay lightweight.

But faster would be fine fine if used at sensible times (i.e. to avoid danger itself or a person).

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johnclark6 t1_irkwhgg wrote

College campuses too. These things are on a lot of them now.

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Just_wanna_talk t1_irkxqe9 wrote

I can't imagine construction sites would be a great environment for these. No construction site is the same as the next so you would have to map it out each time for the vehicle, and they aren't exactly static or clean most of the time. Lots of obstructions popping up each day or changing pathways.

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sjk4x4 t1_irkyir9 wrote

Theyre already using similar on sites to spray paint the construction plans on the building lot

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Just_wanna_talk t1_irkz4zu wrote

Aye, but that's when the site is clean and flat before anything starts happening. What I assume original commenter was meaning these things delivering construction supplies through the construction of a project, which means object moving around every day and a 3D environment with holes and trenches being dug and ramps and elevators etc.

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Neo_Techni t1_iriz5bx wrote

I wouldn't mind buying one of the robots if they're being put out to pasture

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MicroSofty88 OP t1_irj1yiv wrote

I’m sure it can handle deliveries from the fridge to the couch

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Ambiwlans t1_irjaj4c wrote

Mount a fridge on it

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dealcracker t1_irktp3e wrote

Mount a fridge to the couch.

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Compendyum t1_irkc7z1 wrote

Yes, I also want to see in what conditions this robots work, this is beyond slavery!

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Bigjoemonger t1_irk5vak wrote

These would be great for locations where you know people aren't going to screw with it. Such as in large businesses or government facilities. They could be used to deliver food or documents or mail or tools.

Consider say you have to send your device to IT for repair. In a huge company campus it could be 40 min round trip just to drop off your laptop. You create a ticket, IT dispatches the bot with your new laptop, which shows up at your office. You take out the new laptop, put in the old laptop and it drives off back to IT.

It was never going to work out in public. Too many people who can screw with it, or other ways it can go wrong.

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h0tpotamus t1_irk76fs wrote

Like Amazon is above arming it with tazers to take on would be vandals.

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Delioth t1_irkiiq6 wrote

Good thing booby traps (and more broadly "doing stuff with the express purpose of causing harm") are illegal

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h0tpotamus t1_irktozb wrote

We can just deputize them as police drones. Loophole!

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LoganH1219 t1_irkaj0v wrote

They failed because they didn’t put cute little googly eyes on them

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council2022 t1_irkbybc wrote

A fog horn randomly blowing at 120db woulda been cool..

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pistoljefe t1_irk80f4 wrote

Hotel food service would be nice.

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RoadDog14 t1_irkd54r wrote

And they would still add a 25% gratuity

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pistoljefe t1_irkdama wrote

Amazon give me 10% for my idea and call it a day you hear me!?

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CarlosFer2201 t1_irktprn wrote

Might be a thing already in Japan. A friend stayed in a hotel that had a robot wandering the halls and I think it could give you candy.

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EnglishDutchman t1_irkd3ev wrote

Wow. If those things had ever come to England they’d have been used as mobile toilets on Friday nights when the pubs let out. They wouldn’t survive a single day 😂😂🤣🤣

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rockhardgelatin t1_irki7nr wrote

Just line them up along the queue to Heaven on a weekend. I’m sure they’d get plenty of use!

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Mr_JCBA t1_irl37un wrote

You mean, like those little black droids in the Death Star?

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TruthOf42 t1_irl5pa6 wrote

Hospitals Hospitals Hospitals.

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esqualatch12 t1_irkpiqa wrote

wonder if these will be put up for sale at some point, i could have fun with one.

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bemoreal t1_irl7s29 wrote

When do we get these personal droids.

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HardcoreHodor t1_irnxt36 wrote

These things were all over my neighborhood. There was always an operation with an Xbox controller ready to take over nearby. They move very slowly and often got stuck crossing streets and driveways. So glad they are gone.

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Tankart364 t1_irkb5pn wrote

You cannot steal Starship style, and think that Starships will do nothing about it.

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Geek_off_the_streets t1_irkpl96 wrote

I could easily see someone trying to cause harm with something like this. Yay America

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do0tz t1_irjzyiz wrote

They're just going to get rid of human workers in their warehouses instead of paying a liveable wage, and circumvent unionization. That's the whole point of this. It'll just put more money into Bezos' pockets.

ETA: sorry this is controversial. Let me clarify. I don't think it's a bad idea to automate things like that, but there is a labor dispute going on and I'm just pointing out that the reason behind pulling them off the market is to terminate all warehouse workers instead of allowing them to unionize and negotiate better working conditions.

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ScottyC33 t1_irkhf3y wrote

Mechanization and automation in low skill low paying jobs is a good thing for society though. It leads to short term issues, but those should never be put before progress. If it did, the Luddites would have won and we would still have a textile industry all done by hand.

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bakinpants t1_irk591n wrote

When you were writing that did you sincerely believe you were contributing to the zeitgeist? Or that it was a hot take? That's like saying McDonald's sells Big Macs. Factual, but not contributing to any conversation.

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