Disney and looking towards Westworld

So Rachel and I have been watching Westworld. We have been consistently drawn in by the suburb acting and storytelling that has been such a fixture in the show. The show also engages my future looking mind thinking about the possibilities for human society after we master a few tools. There are deeper philosophical questions that the show asks, but as with most foundational changes the human species experiences such as the development of the internet the philosophical questions get asked after the world has changed.

Disney has already made some considerable progress in developing human analogue acrobatic platforms.  As seen in the press video below. The potential for areal acrobatics are simple to see. Especially when the consequences of a rope breaking is only repairing or replacing a robot verses the loss of a human life. This isn't the interesting part for me though. What is more interesting is what I see as the direction this type of technology is headed.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENa98h7M7qY

The most interesting development I see is what becomes possible with the addition of available computing power to drive object recognition. For instance the farming industry is dominated by company's that specialize in producing specialized machines that excel at harvesting individual crops. These machines are efficient because they reduce the amount of human labor needed to harvest a crop. If a device with human analogous mobility becomes available the ability to harvest any crop becomes a matter of computing power.

Mom recommended the film "The Biggest Little Farm" after watching it it I think we could be on the verge of a break through for human society. The documentary is moving, it chronicles the 10 year path of some very ambitious novice farmers as they try to establish sustainable "polyculture?" farming. Basically the goal is to create a balance of life that allows farming to happen despite the chaotic loss of crops by animals. The results are foods with the highest possible levels of nutrients which happen to be very tasty. The dream of a farm like this is very seductive to me. (Maybe because of our genetic predisposition for farming?) But to feed the world I think the limiting factor comes down to labor. I doubt this model of farming as it is currently put into practice can scale to the whole world.

Que Westworld. Disregarding the high noon shootouts and vice indulgence that a model like Westworld allows for I think the real possibility is a dramatic revolution in the way our society could function. Much in the way that in the early 90's people could see the tools of the internet on the horizon I think we're at that point today with robotics. When Boston dynamics starts selling a Rooba that can also put your dishes away I think we'll be 2 years away from being able to purchase a robot that can tend a garden. The mobitlity problem appears to be mostly solved as demonstrated by the promotion videos that Boston Dynamics have released.

So 10-15 years from now I think 20-30 acers of land could provide sustainable food and income to anyone with the will to setup a farm and buy a robot.