I believe that AI will be used for diagnostics in the near future, but it will still need a mechanic to do the actual work, at least for the near future.
Yeah that was my original point.
It is a problem for teachers and professors that assign term papers. Hard to tell which ones were original unless the actually write them in class. Then who wants to read 50 term papers
In long hand? Ah the old blue books may be coming back.
Hmmm… It sounds like one of my former students might have programmed that AI system. As to honesty being a “traditional American value”, I suspect that you were never a teacher, a school counselor, or a social worker.
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"Americans are often very direct. This means they will tell you what they think and be firm about what they want. Being direct is generally seen as honest and practical… they are trying to be clear and precise.
Examples:
- At work, it is common for employees to receive feedback on how to improve work performance.
- If an American disagrees with your opinion, they might tell you. It does not mean they do not like you. They just have a different idea.
- In the USA, a firm handshake and making eye contact are ways to communicate.
- Being honest when making a commitment to a plan is important. If you can not take someone’s invitation, such as for lunch, it is best to be direct and say you can not go.
Oh, how things have changed, I also had an emergency appendectomy when I was 12-years old in 1962. I was in the hospital for 3-days, private room for day-one, and a 4-bed ward for the next two days. I remember my father showing me the bill, $125.00 and that was for everything, all on one piece of paper… Then he said (with a smile…) there’ll be no Christmas for me…
I also have the original hospital bill for my birth in 1950; birth, overnight stay for my mother, and three meals: $25.00…
Those were also the days when doctors made house calls…
Several paths diverged from this post…
First the medical one. I had surgery a couple of years ago. Spent 5 days in, 2 operations. The hospital bill was $106K, my insurance paid $20K, I paid my $6K deductible. If I had no insurance, I’d have been arguing against that $106K bill, successfully or not. So if the hospital can remain solvent accepting 25 cents on the dollar, why are they charging $106K? Didn’t bother asking a Doc, they are clueless about costs. I asked a couple of folks that had been in the business. None could answer why that was.
Now AI… I tried out ChatGPT twice with automotive historical questions and once asked for a 500 word essay on an automotive subject. Each time the answer or essay was wrong. I even replied that the answer was wrong. It gave me another incorrect response. Not ready for prime time!
Eventually, I believe that AI and robotic technology - separate subjects!! - will be providing a significant amount of assistance to many tasks. AI in intelligence, and separately, robotics in the execution of that intelligence.
Technology already makes us better drivers than we can be on our own… Automatic transmissions, ABS, stability control, lane keeping, brake assist, obstacle avoidance and more. It already makes better pilots (while also making worse pilots… but that’s a downside to the technology!) Technology can and will make surgeons or mechanics better.
So yes, robots will fix cars.
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I found this… lol
What are the disadvantages of ChatGPT?
What are the Cons of Using ChatGPT?
- Lack of Academic Integrity. Academic integrity is the primary concern for using ChatGPT in higher education. …
- Provides Inaccurate Information. …
- Biased Responses. …
- Limited Knowledge. …
- Inability to Multitask and Understand Context. …
- Lack of EI.
Sep 20, 2023
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Yikes. Glad you’re alright. The hospital bill for my laparoscopic appendectomy was $53K. Insurance covered $45K, I paid $5K, $3K was disallowed. What a difference in the way our claims were handled. Maybe AI can help the insurance companies with that. On the plus side, I was out in a day and ran a marathon a few weeks later so I have to give the surgeon kudos for sewing me up properly.
I guess about 1985 I had a burst appendix. Operated that night, in the hospital for a week. My bill was $800 . I have no idea what insurance paid. Infection was the main issue. Surgeon said he pulled everything out and cleaned. I joked I hoped he got everything back in the right place.
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That’s funny. $125 in 1962 is ~$1,200 today so, yeah, you’re right, things sure have changed.
Although I’d rather have an appendectomy today than in 1962 with the advancements.
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And then there is tik tok which young people seem to think is reliable propaganda.
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The point of my old joke was that knowing what to do is the hard part. Cars will be redesigned to make them easier for robots to repair.
There was a lot more billed by the physicians, radiologists, pharmacists, and other professionals. Blue Cross paid or disallowed all of that. I paid $370/day for being in hospital.
They wouldn’t let me leave until I had had a movement and a fart. Seeing as how I stopped eating 3 days before I went to the hospital, didn’t eat while I was there, I wondered how that was going to happen. But, 2 days later, it did.
Heh heh. The surgeon stopped by to see if my bowl function had returned. I was in the bathroom at the time and was obvious to him that they had. I later thanked him for the mark of zoro on my abdomen.
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You know, I think we’ve forgotten that Robots are building more and more of the total automobile and it probably is not too far off before the robot takes over the actual repair… Now when I wrote “repair” I am not thinking an actual repair, but rather a “Remove and Replace” operations…
Very few mechanics replace Bendix springs, they replace starters, they do not solder up a leaking radiator, they replace it… And why wouldn’t a complete engine swap out become a normal scheduled event when the plugs are replaced at 100,000 miles in the future?
It only takes design modifications to the assembly of an engine, transmission, drive train, front end, etc… to become a remove and replace event.
Imagine a mechanic Siri. Using voice controls, Siri helps you diagnose the problem. Tells you what to test and where they are… maybe with a nearby screen. Whatever you ask for, Siri provides it… wiring diagrams, pictures of locations or a series of tasks you need to do to reach the part that is broken. And reverses it. Each step complete, you ask for the next step. No greasy fingerprints on the screen. Each time Siri is asked, it gets smarter… like an experienced mechanic working flat rate.
Voice operated stock picking has been common in big warehouses for nearly 2 decades. Each picker wears a headset and carries a small computer wifi set so both hands are always free. The system has some AI. It adapts to the operator as it is used.
As robots get better, the tasks a mechanic does are done by a robot instead.
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Does it really matter? By the time Robots w/ AI brains will be able to “Fix Cars” all the ICE vehicles will have been phased out and everything will be EV and they will probably be more standardized (like OBD2 ports), Lexus will have to go to a Lexus certified shop, Tesla to a certified Tesla shop etc etc etc… And with less and less work force needed due to robots/AI then there will probably be less and less independent repair shops, just like big box stores have run a lot of the maw and paw shops out of business… Each manufacturer will set up satellite shops…
Kinda like Hospitals are doing now, TriStar is everywhere in my area and now Vanderbilt is doing the same thing with St Thomas right behind them… You only have 3 main choices now… and you have to pick the insurance based on who they deal with…
We mainly have always used TriStar, but my wife had her open heart surgery done at Baptist Hospital (best Heart Hospital here), and is now St Thomas and they worked well with our old ins and Tristar, now they only use Ascension ins but her heart Drs doesn’t take Ascension so now it is a mess… it is very stressful having to pick and choose ins now…
- Vanderbilt University Medical Center…
- Ascension Saint Thomas Hospital…
- TriStar Centennial Medical Center…
I don’t think the automotive world will be anywhere near as complicated as the Medical world is, but I think once everything moves over to all EV then it is coming… There will be more plug and play and unity, and less nuts and bolts holding every thing together… Just MHO…
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Yeah I think that’s the direction headed in. It was predicted about 20 years ago by our local car talk guy. Leased cars, just replace whole components. I find it interesting that humans put the tires on. Robots can’t seem to master that like they can spot weld in the same place over and over and over.
The one thing I noticed watching Loud Thunders video is that the robots basically can not multitask, they only have one job and they do it well, they either move X, or weld X or seal X, or glue/bind X etc etc, I didn’t see a robot with multi heads or swapping out multi heads on it that could spot weld as well as other types of welding (but, lap, edge, T, corner), then seem seal it and then move the part and then bolt it together or whatever, it takes a different robot to do each seperate job basically…
So unless a repair shop is set up like an assembly line they are going to have to make robots way more versatile… Robots will have to be able to bring the vehicle in, raise the vehicle (somehow), remove the wheel, caliper brake pads and rotor along with any given hardware, then remove the axle nut and the remaining hub bolts, remove the hub, if seized figure out the best way to remove the hub, then go to the parts counter (unless a different robot brings it out) check part is correct, clean all corrosion off knuckle etc, then reinstall all parts needed… And that is a very basic and most of the time easy task for a low level C tech that can have problems along the way…
Will vehicles have to become more spec built like Nascar or Top Fuel Drag racing where the cars are all basically the exact same with only a few options with stickers/wraps to make it look like a BMW or Toyota??..
Or with no work force and robots doing most everything, along with smart cities, we will no longer require vehicles as everything will be done within walking/moving sidewalk whatever and robots doing and bringing us everything… But we know a vehicle of some kind will always be required to move supplies from one city or factory to wherever and so on…
Just something to think about… 
This is interesting. RoboTire is being used in a multi-location independent shop in PA and in a couple of Discount Tire locations. Robots handle the removal of the wheel/tire, the tire change and reinstallation. As long as a tire shop has the volume and RoboTire can offer financing to the shops that makes it viable, it may happen sooner than later - in the tire world at least. It’s a far cry from a robot replacing a water pump but still interesting.
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Maybe you should quote the line you’re responding to. Most of us don’t have time to read 30+ threads to determine that. See how I added your line. Everyone knows what I’m responding to.
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