An Unanswered Question: Automation's Effect on Society

Article Abstract:

A case study of the John Deere Component Works in Waterloo, Iowa looks at the effects of replacement of human labor with robots and other automation on blue-and white-collar workers. New automation will likely cause greater unemployment and unions are becoming more interested in restricting layoffs. A worker on a flexible manufacturing line has more responsibilities yet less interaction with people. Engineers using design tools have less contact with fellow designers and possibly less innovation. Retraining for new tasks can be difficult, especially with older workers. Opportunity for advancement is limited. Resistance to automation is slow in coming but will probably increase, demanding more radical solutions to the problems. Employment projections for 1990 in automation-affected fields are given.

Human resource management, Manufacturing, Unemployment, Automation, Layoffs, Social conditions, Layoff, Technology-Induced Unemployment, CAD/CAM, Social Issue, Unions, Deere & Co. John Deere Component Works

---

Technology '84: Personal Computers

Article Abstract:

Personal computer use has grown along with changing technologies in the last few years. Interactive graphics software made great strides in 1983 with widespread use of graphic windows, icons, mice, and graphic keys on the display. Touch screens and natural language interfaces made user-system interaction easier. Software applications were integrated into packages while attempts were made to develop universal software. Linking personal computers to networks should be the next breakthrough. New releases of 1983 were the IBM XT-370 Personal Computer, the HP-150 personal computer from Hewlett Packard, and numerous portable computers.

Software, Mice (Computer peripherals), Touch screens, Mouse, Networks, evaluation, Personal Computers, Microcomputer, User Interface, User interfaces (Computers), Windowing, Icons, Touch Screen

---

Similar abstracts:

• Abstracts: Digital Image Generation for a Tank Gunnery Simulator. Unversity Courses in Computer Simulation. Japan Society for Simulation Technology
• Abstracts: Nuclear-Power-Plant Malfunction Analysis. Remote Sensing: The Best View in Town. New York's Fuel-Cell Power Plant: On the Verge of Success
• Abstracts: Technology '84: Instrumentation. Next-Generation Impacts. Internationalization: Harmony or Tension
• Abstracts: U.S. Research; Fostering the Next Generation of Computing. The Teams and the Players: The United States. Telecommunications: Clarke's Legacy
• Abstracts: Video Games: The Next Wave. Company B: The Competitive Edge

This website is not affiliated with document authors or copyright owners. This page is provided for informational purposes only. Unintentional errors are possible.