The TechMobility Podcast
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The TechMobility Podcast
Distracted Trucking, Luxury Cars, Humanoid Robots, and the go-anywhere 2025 Toyota Land Cruiser review
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Behind the wheel of a commercial truck weighing up to 60 tons, distraction can turn deadly in seconds. New research reveals a shocking truth: 79% of truck drivers reported close calls due to distraction, primarily from mobile devices. At highway speeds, these massive vehicles cover a football field every few seconds—a sobering reality for everyone sharing the road.
The legendary Toyota Land Cruiser has returned after a brief hiatus, shedding its luxury pretensions to embrace its rugged heritage. With 74 years of global history and roots tracing back to the original Jeep, this reimagined icon delivers impressive capability through its hybrid turbocharged powertrain generating 326 horsepower. While the off-road hardware impresses with features like crawl mode and a disconnecting stabilizer bar, some compromises—particularly the choice of street-oriented tires—reveal a vehicle caught between its adventurous spirit and modern market realities.
What drives someone to spend $150,000 or more on a vehicle? Research from McKinsey offers fascinating insights into the luxury car market, where buyers with annual incomes between $200,000 and $1 million prioritize "perfection" above all else. These discerning customers, categorized as collectors, connoisseurs, innovation seekers, and status buyers, value heritage and durability—explaining their hesitation toward electric vehicles they perceive as still developing. The luxury experience extends beyond the vehicle itself, with dealership interactions and maintenance experiences remaining critical pain points.
Meanwhile, humanoid robots for home use are rapidly approaching reality, with over $7.2 billion invested in startups since 2015. As companies race to develop robots capable of household chores and elder care, serious questions arise about privacy, security, and regulatory oversight. Without established guidelines or standards, these powerful technologies may enter our homes without adequate protections—a concerning prospect that demands attention from lawmakers and consumers alike.
Want to join the conversation about these fascinating developments? Call or text The TechMobility Hotline at 872-222-9793 or email the show directly - talk@techmobilityshow.
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Welcome to the TechMobility Podcast.
Speaker 2:I'm Ken Chester On the docket my insights and review of the 2025 Toyota Land Cruiser. What buyers think of the luxury car experience and home humanoid robots. To join the conversation, call or text the Tech Mobility hotline, that number, 872-222-9793. Or you can email the show directly. Talk at techmobilityshow, substack at TechMobilityshow. For those of you who subscribe to Substack, you can find me there too. At Ken C Iowa, that's K-E-N, the letter C, i-o-w-a. You can find me there. Check me out. Be sure to subscribe. I really appreciate it.
Speaker 2:From the TechMobility News Desk, a local data company examined causes and impacts of distracted driving. The technology and telematics provider Samsara released a report recently that looked at what causes distracted driving and solutions for it. Let me break this down for you. They looked at 1,500 driver respondents. According to study, within the previous year, 79% of those drivers experienced a close call due to distracted driving. Drilling into the details, 93% of the drivers personally experienced the negative effects of risky behavior, with 37% reporting vehicle damage, 32% personal injury, 30% fines and 30% licensed suspension or revocation. Not only was it more dangerous dealing with distracted drivers, but the drivers themselves highlighted the allure of digital devices and how they can make focusing on the road more difficult. Just over 75% of the drivers reported that often being distracted by the personal mobile devices, and the cohort was not limited or concentrated in specific age levels or years of experience. Let me stop right here and say this the most common distractions were reported when reading and sending messages that was 32%. Making calls 29% and scrolling social media 29%. Now, we have talked about distracted driving before, so this is not news, except for one little detail that I left out of all those numbers, the numbers I just quoted you were for commercial truckers. Those numbers were truck drivers. Now, how do you feel about them? Those numbers I quoted? 79% of truck drivers experienced a close call due to distracted driving, 93% of the drivers. Truck drivers personally experienced the negative effects of risky behavior, with 37 of truck drivers reporting vehicle damage, 32 of truck drivers personal injury, 30, 30 of truck drivers fines and 30 of truck drivers license suspension or revocation.
Speaker 2:It is difficult enough for folks and what they call four-wheelers, passenger cars, suvs, trucks and minivans to be distracted, but when you've got a fellow or a gal driving 40 to 60 tons at 65 miles an hour being distracted, it gets ugly really fast. Again, social media is full of them. You've seen the videos. You've seen the crash videos. Truckers distracted, rolling right into stopped traffic at speed. We had it happen here a couple winters ago, just east of Des Moines, in a snowstorm, top of a hill just outside of Newton Iowa. Truckers never slowed down. They kept running into each other top of the hill, zero visibility, rolling at highway speed. This is a concern. This is a concern.
Speaker 2:I was quoting an article out of Freightways, which is a trucking industry publication, and I wanted to bring this to you because it's not just about drivers regular drivers, truckers have the same challenges too, and that impacts us all. And I haven't even talked about substance abuse, I'm just dealing with distractions. It is difficult enough, in dry ground, wide awake, with all your faculties dedicated towards driving, to drive safe Hands on the wheel, eyes in front, paying attention, checking your mirrors that is a full-time endeavor, and even then we don't get it right. So anything less than that. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it's not a matter of oh, I'm a good driver, I pay attention, even though I'm using my phone, even though it's hands-free. They said it isn't a matter of if, it's a matter of when you're going to crash Because, contrary to public belief behind the wheel.
Speaker 2:Americans do a poor job of multitasking. You can't how many miles on any given day that you've driven, that there was a period in there. You couldn't remember the last five miles. You drove for a variety of reasons. You had no knowledge, no memories. And bear in mind, at 60 miles an hour you are covering a football field every two and a half seconds. You're running at 88 yards a second. So within a few seconds you have driven the length of a football field at 60 miles an hour. Yet highway speed is 65. And if you're outside of the city, depending on the state you live in, it could be 70 to 75 miles an hour. And obviously, truth be told, be honest, you're driving faster than that. How much ground are you covering? Not paying attention, thinking you've got it all together? People could be wide awake and totally space it out. But I bring you back to the truckers. These are numbers that were relative to truckers.
Speaker 2:Another question raised by the report was whether a carrot or a stick approach worked best for reducing distracted driving. Duh, the driver's overwhelmingly preferred recognition and incentives. You think Don't nobody want to be penalized? Did you really have to ask that question? No, I want to be punished. No one's going to say that. Come on now. 82% of respondents saying positive reinforcement was more effective than penalties. Right, the positive reinforcement also translated into improved driver retention 90% of drivers said they are more likely to stay with a company that proactively addresses distracted driving when it occurs.
Speaker 2:I got one for you Be responsible behind the wheel. Be responsible behind the wheel. Don't text and drive. In most states it's against the law anyway. Don't do it and realize that even if your truck is in perfect working order, you still have physics to deal with. And it's 65 miles an hour Even with a perfectly. You know your truck's in working order. You can't stop on a dime. You know that the four-wheelers don't usually know it, but you know your truck's in working order. You can't stop on a dime. You know that the four-wheelers don't usually know it, but you know that. And if you're fully loaded, even longer distances. And no, technology's not always going to bail you out. You say, yeah, but we got analog brakes now and traction control, stability control, all that stuff and yes, it will help. You still got to deal with the physics of weight at speed and shaving off weight to bring it to a stop. It still takes distance In the railroad business.
Speaker 2:Did you know that the average freight train going not even that fast 20, 30 miles an hour needs almost a mile to stop, even if they put it in emergency, if they hit you and immediately apply the brakes, inertia and the weight that's pushing them now will take them almost a full mile to bring that train to a stop. And even at five miles an hour, it still takes a little distance for a train to stop, depending on how much weight they're hauling. And God forbid if it's a mainline where they are traveling at 40, 45, 50 miles an hour and they are carrying 3, 4, and 5,000 tons of material, of freight Trucker is carrying between 40 and 60 tons. I want you to let that sink in. I want it to sink in. Your average truck driver is dealing and the thing you don't want to see him with is holding a phone while he's driving or while she's driving, because that is your safety at risk, absolutely.
Speaker 2:So yeah, a report about trucking and distracted driving. That should give you pause, because it sure gave me pause when I read it. Yes, sir, distracted driving affects everybody. The legendary Toyota Land Cruiser has plenty of history. My insights and review are next. You are listening to the Tech Mobility Show.
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Speaker 2:Social media is the main place to be these days, and we are no exception. I'm Ken Chester of the Tech Mobility Show. If you enjoy my program, then you will also enjoy my weekly Facebook videos, from my latest vehicle reviews to timely commentary of a variety of mobility and technology-related topics. These short features are designed to inform and delight. You Be sure to watch, like and follow us on Facebook. You can find us by typing the Tech Mobility Show in the search bar. Be sure to subscribe to our Facebook page. Social media is the place to be these days, and we're no exception. I'm Ken Chester of the Tech Mobility Show. If you enjoy my program, then you will also enjoy my weekly Instagram videos, from the latest vehicle reviews to timely commentary on a variety of mobility and technology-related topics. These short features are designed to inform and delight. You Be sure to watch, like and follow us on Instagram. You can find us by typing the Tech Mobility Show in the search bar.
Speaker 2:For those of you that listen to podcasts, we have just the one for you. Hi, I'm Ken Chester. Tech Mobility Topics is a podcast where I upload topic-specific videos each week. Shorter than a full show. These bite-sized programs are just the thing, particularly if you're interested in a particular topic covered on the weekly radio show, from Apple Podcasts to iHeartRadio and many podcast platforms in between, we got you covered. Just enter Tech Mobility Topics in the search bar, wherever you listen to podcasts.
Speaker 3:Here comes the unstoppable big six, the Toyota Land Cruiser world's toughest four-wheel drive. There's no stopping a Toyota. It's the toughest, guttiest keep-going-as-power package ever built into a four-wheel drive. Toyota goes where wheels never went before over rocks and ridges, through mud, flood, sand and snow. Toyota's got a big workhorse six-cylinder engine with 135 horsepower, nine forward, three reverse gear combinations that take you anywhere and back, even up 67% grades. And all the way you and your family travel in seven-man foam seat comfort, cruising 85 miles an hour on the open road. Toyota's available in six different models, so trade up to a Toyota Land.
Speaker 2:Cruiser, a Toyota Land Cruiser. For the record, that advertisement was, in the late 1960s, the going anywhere-est Mm-hmm. The Toyota Land Cruiser is the longest-running series of models produced by the Japanese automaker, running series of models produced by the Japanese automaker Born in 1951, it counts the British Land Rover and original Jeep CJ as soulmates. Let's stop right there. I am talking about 74 years 74 years. It's been in the United States for 67 years. Came to North America in 1958. Let's put this in a perspective for a minute before I even get started. When this came into production, not long after the war, you had the Land Rover, which British patterned after the Jeep. You had the Land Cruiser, also patterned after the Jeep. Within 10 years of it well, actually within two years of it coming to the United States you had the Scout by International. Within five more years of that, you had the Ford Bronco. All of these vehicles shared a can-do take-no-prisoners, go-anywhere, do-anything. All-wheel drive was rugged by construction, by nature, and none of these would be considered luxurious by definition. However, if you were an outdoorsman or you had an active lifestyle, you loved these things because, again, literally, it showed it doing things you would never do in anything else. Let's talk about the current Riding on the automaker's GAF body-on-frame platform. The Land Cruiser returned to the United States after a two-year absence for the 2024 model year, returning to its rugged origins. Absence for the 2024 model year.
Speaker 2:Returning to its rugged origins, the reimagined Land Cruiser is a mechanical sibling of the Lexus LX and GX, as well as the Toyota Sequoia and Tundra models. The new Land Cruiser is the perfect blend of capability and premium features. Unlike the original one, like I said, it was originally introduced in 1958, and the current 250 Series Land Cruiser enters its second year as an extremely capable off-roader packed with premium features and a more accessible price point than the previous generation. Basically, what Toyota did is they went back to basics. The Land Cruiser in recent years at least, the model they sold in the United States was more of a luxury SUV, kind of in the thought of the framework of the Cadillac Escalade or the Lincoln Navigator. It was more like that. Toyota decided to take this thing back, slim it down, lighten the load and bring it back to where it was the modern rendition of it, where it was the modern rendition of it and, as a result, the Icon boasts a head-turning look, impressive technology and the latest off-road aids Currently offered in two trim levels.
Speaker 2:Power for the Land Cruiser is generated by a 2.4-liter hybrid, turbocharged gasoline four-cylinder engine that produces an impressive 326 horsepower and 465 foot-pounds of torque. To put that in perspective, if you go back 22 years, a brand new Silverado half-ton V8 with a 5.3 liter V8 generated a little over 300 horsepower and was considered a pretty stout truck and it was a V8. It's a 5.3 liter Vortec. This is a 2.4 liter hybrid, turbocharged gasoline four cylinder engine that produces better numbers than that did. Energy is communicated to all four wheels via an 8-speed automatic transmission and full-time four-wheel drive. Epa fuel economy numbers are 22 city 25. Highway using premium unleaded gasoline. Cargo capacity is 82.2 cubic feet. Towing capacity is again impressive at 6,000 pounds.
Speaker 2:So here's what I liked about the SUV.
Speaker 2:First of all, I've been waiting a long time to drive and evaluate the imagined Land Cruiser. As I keep saying, it's a return to basics and the 2025 Land Cruiser is easily a fully capable Toyota SUV. Its exterior design of angles and flat surfaces suggests a rugged can-do ability, and Land Cruiser doesn't disappoint. Starting with a two-speed transfer case, land Cruiser comes equipped with downhill descent control, on-demand crawl mode, electric stability bar designed to be engaged or disengaged on command and its multi-terrain drive mode system, which includes five different drive modes. A locking center differential adds to the SUV's many capabilities. Fog lights and available head-up display adds to the vehicle's functionalities. When underway, the Land Cruiser is smooth and responsive, and I would be remiss right now at ignoring Toyota SUVs' occupant accommodations, from the exterior running boards and hand grips that facilitate entry and exit, to the comfortable seating for four and rear climate controls. Yes, there's something for everyone, including a rear center armrest, dual cup holders and dual USB ports. A cavernous cargo area for hauling your stuff is icing on the cake.
Speaker 2:So here's what I didn't like about that SUV. Now, I'm all for purpose built, but putting a spare tire at the rear under the vehicle exposed to the elements not okay. And now, while we're on a subject to tires, let's deal with this. The Yokohama Geolander tires that are on it weren't up to the promise made by the rest of the vehicle. Mm-mm, no, uh-uh, nuh-uh. These are definitely on-road tires, which is kind of disappointing, really, because you've given me all this capability to go off-road and then you gave me tires that aren't up for the task, which means I'd have to spend some serious money if I was going to really take the thing off-road.
Speaker 2:Amazingly enough, the outboard rear seats weren't heated and the split folding rear seats don't fold flat with the cargo floor, and I think that's a missed opportunity. Toyota, you started with a cavernous interior. Having those fold flat gives me that much more and makes it that much more awesome, and I felt that the liftover height into the cargo area was high Unfortunately one of the drawbacks of a hybrid system, because you've got to put the batteries somewhere and typically they go below the cargo floor. Now, finally, there are no co-hooks front or rear. Again, if I'm going to take this thing off-road and I'm not saying that I'm going to get into trouble, but occasionally trouble happens, it finds you, and being able to have a front and rear tow hook might be the difference of whether you get the thing out of the muck or it stays there until springtime. Again, if I was considering taking this off-roading, that would be a minimum requirement. Here's the bottom line. The new Toyota Land Cruiser is indeed a Perseverance-built SUV that has returned to its can-do roots Toyota quality, built to experience the extreme. I have a few quabbles with the equipment, but since most buyers may never take this one off-road, I guess it's choices that Toyota was willing to make. The manufacturer suggested retail price for the 2025. Toyota Land Cruiser SUV starts from $56,700. Destination charges add $1,450. I love it. It could do better. I guess that's where I'm at, that. I'd need to make some changes for this thing to be totally off-road worthy. They've certainly given me the tools to do it. So how does the market define the luxury car segment and, as an buyer, what would you expect?
Speaker 2:This is the Tech Mobility Show. Do you listen to podcasts? Seems that most people do. Hi, I'm Ken Chester, host of the Tech Mobility Show. If you've missed any of our weekly episodes on the radio, our podcast is a great way to listen. You can find the Tech Mobility Podcast just about anywhere. You can enjoy podcasts. Be sure to follow us from Apple Podcasts, iheart Radio and many platforms in between. We are there. Just enter the Tech Mobility Podcast in the search bar wherever you listen to podcasts. Techmobility podcast in the search bar, wherever you listen to podcasts. Social media it's the place to be. We're no exception. Hi, I'm Ken Chester, host of the TechMobility show. Several times a week, I post to TikTok several of the topics that I cover on my weekly radio show. It's another way to keep up on mobility, technology news and information. I've built quite a library of short videos for your viewing pleasure, so be sure to watch, like and subscribe. That's the Tech Mobility Show on TikTok. Check it out.
Speaker 2:How does the reality of owning a luxury car match the dream? According to a recent McKinsey and Company white paper, luxury cars those defined as valued over $150,000, account for a small portion of the vehicle sold, but loom large in drivers' imaginations. What kind of people drive vehicles like that and, more importantly, what are their expectations when it comes to ownership? We have questions. Mckinsey has answers, and this is topic B. First, let's take a step back. They define luxury vehicles now costing $150,000 or more. This is three times the average transaction price of vehicles sold in the United States of America right now at 50 grand. And I know a lot of people that if you said $50,000, their eyes would roll. They said, oh my God, it's expensive, I can never afford it. And I'm here to tell you a lot of the vehicles that I evaluate run anywhere from about mid 3030s to mid-80s on average. That's the sweet spot. I've driven some more, some less, but most of them right there. So what were they talking about?
Speaker 2:Well, the McKinsey White Paper interviewed and surveyed more than 150 people around the world who had made or was considering a purchase of a luxury car to learn more about this influential market. Now I'm going to say this I believe they're using the word car kind of interchangeably you could put in SUV, whatever so don't get hung up on the word car so much. Let me blow your mind right here. The respondents represented a wide range of wealth segments, but the vast majority had manual incomes of between $200,000 and $1 million and yes, that's a year Income Not worth Income. Want that to settle Again? Average income, median income in America, it's about $55,000. So again, four times income and higher. So they're obviously not talking about us.
Speaker 2:Focus of the white paper was on their needs and motivations through the entire purchase and ownership life cycle. What factors prompt customers to select a luxury car and how loyal are they to brands? What aspects of luxury car ownership experience are the most important or fall short of expectations? And, given the rise of EVs, they also examine the nuances of the sub-market to determine where the buyer preferences and habits differed Overall and we're not going to get into it they asked 70 different questions and they synthesized the major findings.
Speaker 2:Here's one main takeaway that might surprise you While electric car buyers make priority the driving experience and gain great enjoyment from it. They expect their vehicles to retain or even increase in value. I don't know what they're smoking, because there ain't a vehicle on the planet that does that, even at $150,000. The only way that happens is you are buying a rare vehicle to begin with and it's a vehicle you ain't going to drive much, but if you're driving it it's going to depreciate full stop. There is not a vehicle hardly that I am aware of ever made that as you drive it it goes up in value. There are a few, but very, very, very, very few. Other high-end goods tend to appreciate, so buyers often view this as an inherent characteristic of any luxury product. They're getting definitely disappointed if they think their vehicle is going to go up in value.
Speaker 2:Now, caveat to this If you're making that kind of money, you can also afford to buy the models that the manufacturer puts out in limited numbers. If you are buying a limited volume vehicle of a limited brand and a further limited volume, then yeah, the chances of the vehicle appreciating goes up, particularly if you're not driving it. Take care of it. By comparison, a Corvette C8 Z06 is going to be worth more money than a base Corvette. If you buy a track version Corvette, which is a very limited number, still worth more Kind of like buying a dark horse Mustang If you're buying those niche products, which they're very finite numbers and the manufacturer made it that way then yes, there's a chance it will go up in value. But buying a Mercedes, buying even an EQS, which is their top-of-the-line sedan EV, doesn't necessarily mean it will go up in value. But if there's an AMG version, yeah, probably will. So it really depends on what you're buying.
Speaker 2:Now they broke down these buyers into four different segments and I'm going to give you that. But again, this report went way further than we have time to talk about here, so I'm just giving you the highlights, or the cliff notes, if you will. They identified four distinct buyer personas collectors, connoisseurs. They identified four distinct buyer personas collectors, connoisseurs, innovation seekers, performance enthusiasts and personal status buyers. Here's the thing that I was not ready for and I didn't see coming.
Speaker 2:When we asked survey respondents about what they sought in luxury goods and this includes luxury cars they most frequently mentioned the concept of perfection. This term connotates a lofty, flawless state of existence, but most respondents said it referred to the high quality of a product's physical characteristics and wait for it its durability. These folks are looking for the same things you are. When you buy a vehicle, you want it to last. They want it perfect and honestly, I've always believed if you're paying that level, then I expect the customer experience to be mint. I expect the vehicle to be flawless. If I have any issues, I expect you all to be waiting on me hand and foot. They're the same way.
Speaker 2:Perfection is the most important attribute for respondents buying luxury cars. Heritage is close. Second Meaning it matters. If I'm buying a German car, I'm buying a German car for a reason because of its history, because of the long history of building and perfecting motor cars, of building and perfecting motor cars. Meaning typically, they probably won't necessarily be buying a Korean high-end car anytime soon, but in due time they probably will, but not right now. A luxury item's heritage, its distinctive and timeless brand perception, came in a close second to perfection, highlighting the critical importance of preserving a brand's history and designing products that can stand the test of time for generations.
Speaker 2:Most people who are dyed-in-the-wool Mercedes owners, they're not buying it for status. They're buying it because they plan to hold onto it 15, 20 years or more and at one time Volvo was the same way. You bought a Volvo to hold for 20, 25 years and that was part of the allure, the quality, the engineering, the manufacturing. That's what you bought when you bought it. You bought in to the brand history, the brand knowledge, the brand values, the core values.
Speaker 2:People spend this kind of money, are expecting perfection. That only makes sense. You know, if you don't want perfection, buy a mass market car you want. People who spend this kind of money are expecting perfection. That only makes sense. If you don't want perfection, buy a mass market car. You want perfection. You want a perfect dealer experience, which ironically, seems to be one of the places where the dealers have fallen down. Is there interaction and maintenance? When they do need maintenance Is the one sore spot, the one pain point that, regardless of persona, all of them have that issue and because they don't perceive EVs to be a good value right now, they're not buying them For everything I just mentioned. They're looking for brand value and they're looking for perfection and right now the EV manufacturer is still cutting their teeth all of them. So these folks are less likely to spend that kind of money right now. It's not saying that folks ain't selling them, they are selling. But to get to the core of this audience not so much. It feels like a scene from a sci-fi movie Home, humanoid robots, their thing.
Speaker 2:We are the Tech Mobility Show. To learn more about the Tech Mobility Show, start by visiting our website. Hi, I'm Ken Chester, host of the Tech Mobility Show. The website is a treasure trove of information about me and the show, as well as where to find it on the radio across the country. Keep up with the happenings of the Tech Mobility Show by visiting techmobilityshow. That's techmobilityshow. You can also drop us a line at talk at techmobilityshow. Did you know that Tech Mobility has a YouTube channel? Hi, I'm Ken Chester, host of the Tech Mobility Show. Each week I upload a few short videos of some of the hot topics that I cover during my weekly radio program. I've designed these videos to be informative and entertaining. It's another way to keep up on current mobility and technology news and information. Be sure to watch, like and subscribe to my channel. That's the Tech Mobility Show on YouTube. Check it out.
Speaker 1:Are you tired of juggling multiple apps and platforms for meetings, webinars and staying connected? Look no further than AONMeetingscom, the all-in-one browser-based platform that does it all. With AONMeetings, you can effortlessly communicate with clients, host virtual meetings and webinars and stay in touch with family and friends all in one place and for one price. Here's the best part you can enjoy a 30-day free trial. It's time to simplify your life and boost your productivity. Aonmeetingscom, where innovation meets connection. Get started today and revolutionize the way you communicate.
Speaker 2:Social media is the place to be these days, and we're no exception. I'm Ken Chester of the Tech Mobility Show. If you enjoy my program, then you will also enjoy my weekly Instagram videos From the latest vehicle reviews to timely commentary on a variety of mobility and technology-related topics. These short features are designed to inform and delight you. Be sure to watch, like and follow us on Instagram. You can find us by typing the Tech Mobility Show in the search bar.
Speaker 2:The year was 2004 and the movie was I robot starring will smith, and I know I've talked about this before, but I can't get past it and it's kind of the core of where we're going in this last segment. One of the major plot themes of that movie was the wide availability of robot assistance, especially for the home for disabled, older and otherwise infirm folks, set in the year 2035. The main computer that controlled the robots initiated an uprising against the humans. In the confrontations that followed, the humans did prevail, but remember that was 21 years ago. Home humanoid robots are in the process of becoming a thing, so why am I worried? This is topic C. I understand we are at an inflection point. Home health care workers are chronically underpaid, the turnover is high and as baby boomers like me get older, we have more of a need for that kind of service. Yet the population is not keeping up with it. So, on top of lousy pay, there physically aren't enough people to even step into the profession, even if the pay was right, which it isn't.
Speaker 2:So what do you do? Well, there is a group of companies that are rushing to bring to market, including a number of automakers, humanoid robots, and I just, I'm sorry, it feels a little weird. It feels a little weird. How important, how big deal is this? Well, the one startup that it talked about was 1X, and we talked about 1X before. His startup is one of the among dozens of companies planning to sell humanoids and get them both into homes and businesses, and since 2015 and this is the numbers I need you to listen to to realize investors poured more than 7.2 billion that's with a b dollars, into more than 50 startups since 2015. In the last 11 years, $7.2 billion into 50 startups trying to do this. Last year, investments topped, just for last year, $1.6 billion. And this doesn't include what Tesla is doing and the money they're putting into Optimus, a humanoid that they began building in 2021, doesn't talk about Honda's dabbled in it. Hyundai is dabbling in it through their purchase of Boston Dynamics. If you watch their, there's a YouTube video that Hyundai put out about their new plant in Georgia. You will see dog-like robots from Boston Robotics in that video actually working in the plant right now.
Speaker 2:Entrepreneurs that are in this space believe humanoids one day will do much of the physical work that is now handled by people, including household chores like wiping counters and emptying dishwashers, warehouse jobs like sorting packages and factory labor like building cars on an assembly line. Let me stop. So many things just hit me right there. Factory floor. Yeah, another movie Turn of this current century Minority Report showed a fully automated Lexus plant set in 2037. Yet if you watch that Hyundai video I just saw, for the first five to six minutes of that 17-minute video you won't see hardly any humans on the line. You see them later building the Ionic 5, not the Ionic 9, which is their newest one. Let that sink in.
Speaker 2:For those of you of a certain age, I'm going to read this to you. You might recognize it. These are words from a song, because when they said, much of the physical work that is now handled by people, humanoids will one day do Song says in the year 5555, your arms hanging limp at your sides, your legs have nothing to do. Some machine is doing that for you. That was 1969. That was Zeger and Evans. They were out of Omaha and the song in the year 2525. 1969, that was Zeger and Evans. They were out of Omaha and the song in the year 2525. It won't take that long.
Speaker 2:So why am I all sorts of concerned. Let me start with the obvious and let me get on my hobby horse. No federal guidelines. There are no guidelines developing these. I don't know if they're going to come in my house and snoop around. Let's just be honest. Big tech is always looking for tech and if it's free, guess what. You are the product.
Speaker 2:And no doubt, I believe, some of these they will make available for free. And what's to say? That they're not recording and doing things? How do I know? How do I know what they're doing, what they're recording, what they're seeing, what they're reporting on To whom, for what? No guidelines, no rules. How do I know that these machines will be doing things in my best interest? Will they be trying to influence me in ways that I don't realize? Because, of course, if I'm older, if I'm disabled, if I'm unfirm, I may not have all the capacities to evaluate what's going on, and I may be getting manipulated Maybe my money, maybe my time, maybe my property and I'm not saying that they're nefarious, but there is nothing preventing them from doing it. I read a white paper recently that said this very stark thing they were concerned that AI will get sapient and sentient and kill us all by 2030. That's extreme. However, again, guidelines With the rush to AI, with the rush to computers, with the rush to embrace all this software and hardware, untested, unproven folks are just rushing.
Speaker 2:No guidelines, no minimum standards to count on. Regardless of what we're using people, we need minimum standards that everybody is adhered to so we know what to expect, what protections we have, what options we've got. Otherwise, we will be held hostage by the companies that make these things or somebody who might be able to hack it because there were no standards to make them hack-proof. And what happens if they do get hacked? What protections do I have? It's in my home. How do I know I'm safe? You may have heard something called three rules safe. That was actually invented by a sci-fi writer. Those really don't exist. But it existed in iRobot, but they're really not codified rules. They were developed by a sci-fi fiction writer in the 1950s. We don't have any guidelines. We've got all this tech around us. No guidelines, no protections. Somebody needs to start asking questions. Somebody needs to laying the law down.
Speaker 2:Somebody needs to protect us so that we can be safe. That's my concern, that's my bottom line concern, and it should be yours too. I'm not against technology. I just want to be sure what it's doing and the fact that it's doing it in my best interest and what recourse I have if it's not. That's my concern, first and foremost Because, who knows, I might need one of these things. I'm getting older and it would sure be a help sometimes. You.
