Forbidden Planet & Invasion of Robot Snatchers

Recall Robbie the Robot in 1956 Forbidden Planet starring Leslie Nielsen & Walter Pigeon & the prospect of do-it-all robots snatching jobs from us is one step closer to reality as a Robot Army is filling in for scarce workers.

At least, so says the WSJ article that reports, “Robots are spreading at a record pace, from their traditional strongholds like making automobiles into nearly every other human endeavor … and, in a [new] world short of workers, business leaders are more eager to welcome them than ever.” Technological advancements & improved cost effectiveness has helped spur the invasion too. So much so that “a half-million industrial robots were installed globally last year alone, upping the global robot population’s new record of 3.5 million. Doesn’t that exceed the population of every American city other than NY & LA? “This all amounts to a potentially titanic shift in the way things are made, transported & even consumed , ushering in what some who study the phenomenon call a ‘roboeconomy’?”

On the other hand, wasn’t Robbie already proof that our days earning a living at just about anything were short-lived? Standing 7 feet tall, broad-chested & articulate Robbie not only read his line flawlessly in Forbidden Planet but several other science fiction movies & tv programs giving him the distinction as “the hardest working robot in Hollywood.” Dwyane, are those human or robot actors we’re seeing in those Super Hero movies?

Davd Soul