Dam built by robots? Japan's Obayashi tests it out

I think you’ve misunderstood what “constructive" means in this context.

> Companies probably contribute to the loss of information over time

I agree with what else you said, but I see much of the opposite process in corporations actually. I have worked in a couple of very large corporations and what I have seen is less of information hiding (and "not invented here") and more of cooperation through partnerships, open source software and standardisation of processes.

While I mostly agree with your comment, I would like to point out that a company may have a lifespan much greater than that of a skilled worksman (which may or may not have transferred his "specific" knowledge to any co-worker and/or apprentice). A company, simply because of the stream of new people that will have to be trained, need to have that knowledge passed down at some point, and having it laid down in writing or any non perishable medium is the safest way to do so.

I'd like to add a little context around the quote [0], because I do think it makes another issue very apparent:

> Building a dam requires knowledge and skill developed through years of experience. Obayashi's automated system is expected to be a game-changer in dam construction, as well as in other applications.

> "By transferring expert techniques to machines, we're able to analyze what was once implicit knowledge," said Akira Naito, head of Obayashi's dam technology unit.

> Every process for constructing the 334-meter-wide dam will involve some form of automation. That includes the initial work of establishing the foundation, and pouring concrete to form the body.

Implicit knowledge here refers to dam builders' workmanship and experience. It is an empirically constructed knowledge which is "stored" in the worksman's mind as instincts, concepts, know-how... While these may "be analyzed" and re-used for automation purposes, I have very strong doubts whether such implicit knowledge may even be truly understood and translated (be it in code or any other media) if there is such a precise goal. Specifically because the knowledge is implicit and applies situationally, one may never be able to grasp it all without some kind of very complex knowledge transfer set-up that could cover a broad range of situations, allowing all of the patterns to emerge and be identified.

Enough knowledge may be gathered that a company could successfully apply it to dam building by machines. But as automation replaces dam builders, chances are that the portion of the extracted knowledge which is not necessary to the company will join the expertise which did not transfer from the workmans' minds to the company to lay forever in the land of lost knowledge (...until it is found again through experience).

The rest will most likely be preserved "forever" through more or less obscure patents and "hard", explicit knowledge in the company's hands.

[0] https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Engineering-Construction/Da...

For your second point, I think you meant FeliCa. Osaifu-keitai is the name of the integration with phones, but FeliCa is the name of the far superior NFC standard that never took off outside Japan.

Yes. It's great!! They actually can actually reason about what they have build and show it has specific properties.

> immigrants are always second-class citizens

That is true for every country on the planet.

People are snarking you but this is absolutely true. I know multiple people that went over in their 20s. All but one came back within 10 years. People are very polite, but it's also clear there's a sort of invisible force field always around you that drastically limits your professional options beyond english translation/tutoring work. Forming a social network is nearly impossible.

One of my friends born there did his undergrad and masters in aerospace engineering in the US as there's a lot more programs and jobs here. When he went back due to family obligations he discovered he wouldn't be able to get a job beyond translating manuals. He's been told over and over again that if he had to leave Japan for school then clearly something must be wrong with him. So besides the undercurrent of racism, similar problems are found by native born citizens that don't conform to these expectations.

It sure has helped the rest of the world conquer poverty. That doesn’t seem like stagnation to me.

The more we have immigrants stocking supermarket shelves and constructing infrastructure the more we can focus our high end R&D on things like biotech, medicine, space, and the like. That’s economics; comparative advantage is real.

You make a good point. I did not say that we should solve all problems via immigration. There are classes of problems that immigrants can’t solve. I’m just saying we should prioritize those problems above such problems. Examples include, researching cures for incurable illnesses such as cancer, HIV/AIDS, prosthetics to solve blindness, deafness, artificial limbs, etc. I feel automation can benefit various problem classes without generating mass unemployment.

pretty sure they already are

Last I checked numbers I believe China's population is expected to start declining within something like the next ten years...

It will be very interesting to see how that affects both China and the world...

Do construction trades count as "skilled people" in the immigration context in Japan? Usually when I hear "skilled" in that context I think of doctors and PhD researchers.