Michael Butlin
55.3K posts
@MichaelButlin
LibDem Cllr South Twickenham Chairman RBL Twickenham Branch 20yr Reserves 50yr IT@Telecomms Swim Cyclist? Redneck? Armed Forces Convenant Champion Poppy Seller
The world's largest utility company just eliminated one of the most dangerous jobs on earth. China's State Grid which controls power for 1.1 billion people has deployed robotic electricians across 26 provinces and counting. These machines work on live, 10,000-volt wires while the power stays fully on. Before this, the workers who did this job wore full conductive armor and understood that one wrong move was fatal. Now the robot takes that risk instead. The machines strip insulation, tighten connections, and splice wires with millimeter precision, all while hanging at altitude on a live grid. They complete tasks 50 percent faster than a human crew and report a 98 percent success rate. This is already the operating standard in more than two dozen Chinese provinces. China is about to spend $554 billion upgrading its power grid between now and 2030. That is a war chest for building the most automated, AI-powered energy infrastructure in human history. Meanwhile, the United States has a shortage of 40,000 electricians and the gap is getting worse every year. China's answer to that problem is not a trade school, it is a fleet of machines that never sleeps or quits. Every other country still arguing about whether robots will replace workers is watching the answer get deployed in real time.
Dear NATO partners, Thank you for your interest in Ukrainian drone technologies. Unfortunately, the transfer of modern drones is currently not possible. Their use requires serious training, and our instructors mostly speak Ukrainian. Many terms, as practice has shown, cannot be translated — they have to be experienced. There are also well-founded concerns that the equipment could fall into enemy hands. Given your current combat experience, we are not confident you would hold out even for three days. Please do not take this as criticism — rather, as an observation from the front line. As a compromise, we can offer upgraded Mavics. However, this would require approval from “Madyar.” As you know, he has his own conditions — including, but not limited to, the exclusion of Hungary from the EU. Additionally, we are ready to consider supplying outdated drones, for which the enemy already has electronic warfare countermeasures. If you manage to use them effectively, we can revisit the discussion about newer models. As for long-range and strike systems — their transfer is not possible in order to avoid escalation. This is a principled position. In terms of defensive solutions, we can allocate up to 100 units per month. We should note right away — we ourselves are short on them, as industry has not yet been fully converted to a wartime footing. Respectfully, Ukraine (a country that has been “holding out for three days” for five years)
