Samsung to make robots 'cheaper than human worker'

We often fear of the days when robots will completely replace humans in the workforce. Do we really want to be bound by mechanical overlords who might one day decide we're more trouble than we're worth?

Samsung and South Korea are taking aim at electronics manufacturing costs with a new investment in robots it's hoped will make mechanical men cheaper to operate even in jobs that currently need flexible human fingers, reports The Register.

With around $14.8 million in funding from South Korea's Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy, Samsung will develop robots capable of handling jobs.

Places like Foxconn (Hon Hai Precision) build all kinds of electronic devices for companies like Apple, Dell, HP, and so forth, but if robot workers in South Korea could maintain the same level of quality while lowering costs, it's not inconceivable that contracts would shift to South Korea than China.

Even Foxconn was said to have replaced a number of human workers with robots called 'Foxbots' to assemble iPhone 6 devices, so this isn't something that only South Korea is looking at.

There could be big money in the development of these bots.

While robots don't get sick or take vacations, they do break down and have other shortcomings, all of which people workers are trying to solve.

For example, a group of French and American scientists recently reported success developing software that allows damaged robots to assess their condition and adapt as necessary to prevent further deterioration.

If so, it marks a dark day for the future of human employment – so far, many jobs have been protected simply because humans are cheaper than machines.