My Post-Retirement Gig – Heavy Machine Operator

Artificial Intelligence and technology are rapidly changing jobs and the future of work.  The job environment that will exist when you reach financial independence or retire will be very different, perhaps to your advantage.  This post is the latest in my series discussing the future of jobs and how AI will impact them.

In my last post about the future of jobs and artificial intelligence I discussed how the autonomous vehicle movement is more hype than reality.  And by that I mean fully autonomous vehicles at level five which requires no human intervention.  It may get here eventually, but eventually is still a long long way off.

As I was outlining my next post about robotic vehicles Bloomberg went ahead and scooped me.  They published this great piece discussing the more practical and near-term ways that robotic vehicles will make headway in business and change jobs. 

Industrial and construction vehicles are a massive provider of jobs.  According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics there were over 426,000 construction equipment operators in 2016.  And that number doesn’t include farm vehicles and some other related categories. 

As the Bloomberg article points out, because construction vehicles and equipment often operate off public roads and in controlled spaces, they’re “low-hanging fruit” for the robotic vehicle movement to make headway. 

I’m purposely using the word “robotic” instead of “autonomous” because the distinction matters.  The progression of the technology in this arena will not for the most part immediately jump to autonomy.  Instead, the ability for a human to operate a vehicle remotely from a centralized control center will come first. 

Remote Control On Steroids

The company highlighted in the article, Phantom Auto, is still in the early stages of what will very likely become an industry standard.  Imagine being able to have your best crane operator immediately switch from a delicate urban job in Shanghai to a tricky high-wind win job in Nebraska? 

If you’re skeptical, the truth is the technology is already being used.  Check out this short video from a major construction crane company.  I’m not quite sure why that guy is wearing what looks like a space suit, but hey it’s a safe job so he doesn’t need a helmet!

One heavy machine operator sitting in a comfortable, climate controlled operations center could easily jump from job to job at the click of a mouse.  And many of the same cameras and sensors the autonomous car companies such as Waymo and Tesla are pouring money into will be used in the remote operations of these machines and vehicles. 

From forklifts, to massive dump trucks at mining sites, to steam rollers and backhoes, the playing field is ripe and enormous.  It’s every kids Tonka Toy dream come true.

And here’s the key and why this matters to the discussion of jobs and financial independence – people will still be needed!  Like personal cars these machines won’t be fully automated anytime soon.  These vehicles often avoid the risk of operating on public roads, but still work around people and are usually performing dangerous tasks.  So the necessity of a real live human monitoring operations will still be paramount.

There are, however, vehicles that are experiencing full automation.  Big-Agra and many not so big farms are now using GPS controlled tractors and farm equipment.  They operate in a pre-programmed way using GPS for guidance, often with a human still in the cockpit. 

Some of these tractors are fully autonomous and the trend will continue.  But the technology will not translate to cars on public roads anywhere near as rapidly as the media hype will have you believe.  After all, an autonomous tractor doesn’t have to worry about a kid jumping in front of it chasing a ball, or a cyclist crossing the street.

Changing Collars?

A huge bonus of a centralized control center for heavy equipment and construction vehicles is that of operator safety and working conditions.  What are now considered pure blue collar jobs, complete with hard hats and the associate hazards will essentially become white collar jobs in the future.

The crane operator will be in khakis and a polo shirt (or a euro-styled space suit), coffee in hand, maybe with Pandora streaming in the background and a tiny basketball hoop on his cubicle wall.  But take it from this white collar desk jockey who made a handsome career out of sitting at a desk pressing a button on a mouse – it’s not really healthy.  It’s just that the hazards are less direct and apparent.

Our bodies evolved to move and be active, and more people sitting and clicking for a living has lots of minuses along with the pluses.

Another interesting nuance to these developments is that the skills required will change.  Controlling and moving gears, levers, and clutches will transition from analog to digital interfaces.  Astute video gamers could have a huge leg up in this future. 

Gamers are a community that likely have the necessary motor skills to be successful in navigating sophisticated screen and device interfaces.  Or as Bloomberg says “the operator of the future could be more gamer than teamster”. 

Maybe that will justify those endless hours on Call of Duty. 

Your Turn Readers – If you’re an avid gamer would you consider taking a job operating heavy machinery from a control center?