Tech companies often boast of how technology is revolutionizing our world. Yet for all the gain, technology fails us on so many levels. Basic necessities like housing, health & education seem to get ever more expensive and difficult to access for many.
If ever there was a sector that could do with a tech revolution, it's housing. 3D printing & robotics promise much but never seem to take off. Perhaps a new approach is needed to jump-start them. Renewable energy markets didn't take off until governments intervened to support them. Maybe the same should happen for ultra-cheap housing via robots & 3D printing.
Tech can't solve those problems, because they're not technological problems. There are intensive studies on them and they never prove definitely feasible. For example, 3D printing is not reliable and not scalable. Robotics require very precise and stable conditions, a simple breeze that would just have workers using a jacket, completely stops a robot. Same with container homes, prefab houses, etc. they only seem to work under controlled conditions but fail in real life settings. These tech startups don't want to solve any real problem, they want money, to sell out and retire early.
We already have all the technology we need to provide full housing, medical care and education to all humans on earth. But we won't because that doesn't fill the shareholders pockets.
Tech companies often boast of how technology is revolutionizing our world. Yet for all the gain, technology fails us on so many levels. Basic necessities like housing, health & education seem to get ever more expensive and difficult to access for many.
If ever there was a sector that could do with a tech revolution, it's housing. 3D printing & robotics promise much but never seem to take off. Perhaps a new approach is needed to jump-start them. Renewable energy markets didn't take off until governments intervened to support them. Maybe the same should happen for ultra-cheap housing via robots & 3D printing.
Making cheap housing doesn't make stock market numbers go up and that's all capitalism cares about.
Tech can't solve those problems, because they're not technological problems. There are intensive studies on them and they never prove definitely feasible. For example, 3D printing is not reliable and not scalable. Robotics require very precise and stable conditions, a simple breeze that would just have workers using a jacket, completely stops a robot. Same with container homes, prefab houses, etc. they only seem to work under controlled conditions but fail in real life settings. These tech startups don't want to solve any real problem, they want money, to sell out and retire early.
We already have all the technology we need to provide full housing, medical care and education to all humans on earth. But we won't because that doesn't fill the shareholders pockets.