Cheap Robots Are Helping Small Businesses Survive
- New generation models are smaller, cheaper and friendlier
- Programming’s a breeze: ‘Watch a couple of YouTube videos’
Professional Development for Our Robot Replacements
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Robots are everywhere. They’re stocking shelves, pruning trees, making cocktails, delivering room service. Now they’re even showing up for work in some of the smallest factories, in a boost for manufacturing in the U.S. and a potential new threat to traditional production-line jobs.
The robotics wave began sweeping into automobile and other plants decades ago, stopping short of shops staffed with a relative handful of people. Many businesses couldn’t afford the contraptions, which weren’t designed to squeeze into tight spaces or operate very close to human beings.