The replacement of people by robots continues (as I've written before). The whole article goes to great lengths to deride us:
That’s largely because Bbox has eliminated one of the most expensive elements of operating a business: labor.
We're expensive and useless, see?
But there is good news for those who prefer the familiarity of a first name basis with their favorite carbon-based baristas. The robots have names. “Jarvis” is the machine that positions orders for customer pickup
But so you don't feel bad, we'll give the robots some humanity too.
“It’s more efficient than having a normal barista do it by hand,” said Scelzi. “It knows how long it takes a cup to be filled. It knows where to place it.”
And a person apparently doesn't know these things...
While the company is in beta, visitors will likely interact with at least a few organic life forms at the registers. Just don’t call them baristas.
Organic life forms
- how insulting. Why not just call us people?
Clearly, we are being conditioned to think we are inferior so that the robot revolution is accepted easier. What isn't mentioned is that the robot can only execute a specific program - don't expect anything responsive from them. But that is the way these cafes are supposed to be designed - you order "X" and get it, that's it - robbing you of the rich world of human communication. They also want to get into other markets:
“We’d like to be able to do burgers and burritos and Chinese food,” he said. “Basically anything that there is like a QSR — a quick serve restaurant — or fast food restaurant that exists today, we would like to be able to do that as well.”
And outcompete them:
Becker hopes those eventual burrito and burger machines can serve a higher quality product than places like McDonald’s or Burger King, but for the same prices, or lower.
So you can expect most food serving places to be mechanized soon. What does that entail? How about not being able to pay with cash:
Customers place their order via Bbox’s mobile web app (an iOS app is in development) or via tablet outside the café. They create a customer profile, including phone number and payment information.
We're being dehumanized and enslaved in the name of progress. How sad.
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