The rage when I grew up was ROBOT WARS. Robots would be designed to destroy any opponent in a lethal manner. Even the arena was protected to prevent flying debris for impacting with the spectators.

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The AGVs I helped build, test and deliver are much bigger. Yes, I was paid to work on robots. Real world robots need AI to solve real world problems. Walking speed the maximum and sensors all around and a patented forward sensor stopped the vehicle dead.

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Oops. How did that get in here?

Anyway, prisoner transport ( it's hard to bribe a robot ), parolee tracking system before they got miniaturized. Explosives handling robot.
I've done Project Management on some of these systems.
We have the hardware; it is up to the software people to finish the job. AI will help.

Rumor has it theres a McDonalds in Japan that's just about 100% automated. The goal is to get rid of as many minimum wage workers as possible. Other companies that deal with minimum wage workers are keeping a close eye out on this test McDonalds as well.

There's a "rumor" about this supposed automated McDonald's?

Either provide a link from a reputable source, or consider your tale to be something you invented as part of your minimum-wage bashing campaign.

@Old Mountain View,


I found several references to the elimination of minimum wage jobs by technology

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also;
Rise of the Robots: Technology and the Threat of a Jobless Future Hardcover – May 5, 2015
by Martin Ford (Author)

I'm sure the "robotic" McDonald's in Japan is a hoax, just like this one in Phoenix that Snopes uncovered as a falsehood:

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Automation will come gradually and in many instances will be a convergence of existing semi-automated/fully-automated sub-systems controlled by a master system.

For McDonald's and other fast food chains, the introduction of automated kiosks for order-taking is the first step. Apparently McDonald's has done this in Europe (likely a partial rollout)

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and that automated cashier machines will someday make their to the American market. However, people should expect the changes to be gradual, like self-service kiosks at some grocery stores, Home Depot, etc.

We already have U-SCAN automated checking systems and a single employee that handles SIX U-SCAN machines.

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The head checker runs these in the little office next to the regular checkers. I know; my daughter was once a head checker.