And now: The burger-flipping robot

They don't give you attitude. They don't steal from the cash register. They don't show up late, call in sick, fail to show up, show up drunk, text on the job, have sex in the back room or spit in the customers' food.

---

They also don't have good days and bad days. They just do the same thing, every day.

Are robots well on their way to dominating mankind to such an extent, that we would soon be out of a job? Not really, especially when it comes to jobs that require plenty of thought. Flipping burgers, however, can be an opportunity for robots to work at it better than humans, thanks to a company that calls themselves Momentum Machines, this particular robot hopes to change the way the fast food industry works, and it might even see some line cooks out of a job eventually. It seems that this particular robot is capable of slicing toppings like tomatoes and pickles immediately before it places the slice onto your burger, which would mean the freshness factor is increased, and fresh ingredients that have not yet been exposed to our surroundings would definitely offer a nicer taste for customers. Apart from that, this robot is touted to be more consistent and sanitary in nature, producing up to 360 hamburgers each hour – which translates to a single burger in just 10 seconds. In fact, Momentum Machines are working on a second generation of this robot that is touted to deliver custom meat grinds for customers. Do you think that burger joints could see some of their line chefs become obsolete? At least robots do not play politics at the workplace, and they have no complaints about the long working hours and low pay.

You're upset at this point because I'm talking about robots like they're superior to humans? Then hear what I'm telling you. If you expect employers to pay you $10 to do something they can get a machine to do, what are you going to offer the employers to make your proposition worth it to them? Are you going to pull the crap I listed above, or are you going to be respectful, dependable, dedicated and responsible? Because if you're not, no business owner in his or her right mind would pay you a wage like that. I sure as hell wouldn't. I'd get this guy: And now: The burger-flipping robot Now every time there is a technological advance like this, it comes with the usual lament that machines are taking people's jobs, and how wrong this is, etc. Bolshevik. Labor is a cost for a business, just like any other cost. You incur it as long as it's necessary, and only to the extent that it's necessary. Your job as a business is not to employ people. It's to provide a product or service to your customers at a price that a) they are willing and able to pay; and that b) makes you the largest profit possible. If labor seeks to be part of the equation, then labor needs to offer business a better value proposition than the emerging technology that can do the same job. Otherwise, labor can get a job making the technology. Technology always usher in change, and that is nothing to fight back against. Twenty years ago, I worked for a company that regularly used a courier service to deliver hard-copy documents to clients. Then e-mail became commonly used. That courier service is gone, but there are new jobs at the technology companies that help you operate on the Internet. Should we lament e-mail because it eliminated the jobs of document couriers? Of course not. New technology made our lives easier and more efficient, and different kinds of jobs came along as a result. I have no idea if machines will ever be able to do the full job of a fast-food worker, but I do know that if the government demands restaurants pay people way more than the value of their work justifies, the smart restaurant owner will keep looking for ways to reduce the use of that overpriced labor. And if that answer is a burger-flipping robot, then that's the answer.