CMU School of Architecture

Optimization of Parenthood

14 May 2012

We will inevitably finish like this, whether it’s ABB or any other robotics company that’s completely secondary, but we will end up substituting a massive % of human labor with robots… fact. The sooner, the easier we accept our human inferiority.

Optimization of parenthood (Video and Images by Jonathan Minard)
Optimization of parenthood (Video and Images by Jonathan Minard)

“Optimization of Parenthood” is by Nortd Labs and developed with support from the STUDIO for Creative Inquiry at Carnegie Mellon University. They’re proposing a robot arm which reacts whenever the baby placed in the bassinet cries or awakes from sleep…

Mother substitution will also be feasible thanks to this helpful hand… maybe expensive at first… but if well marketed and priced, a serious competitor to your average maid. You won’t need to take 6 months of paternity leave anymore, productivity will rise, and so will your free time.

“In order to optimize as much of the routine tedious monotony of parenthood as possible and make it an option for all women to have both her creative work and children we must optimize the process of parenting. The automatic repetitive task can be transferred to other devices, without affecting ‘the development of the baby’. This frees the mother to do their creative work without having to factor or budget for the high cost of childcare or feel she is pigeonholed into the role because it is simply ‘a women’s nature”.

While we find the above statement to be very accurate… we would love to introduce the “father” concept within… it’s a couple optimization process… and not only that of women.  Nevertheless, it’s a concept to become real in…. x years, and the best thing is that they’re sharing the code for you to customize your own robotic arm as of today! This way ladies and gentlemen! (via ffff.at)

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