The world’s first beauty salon in which semi-autonomous robots perform most of the tasks opened today in a suburb of Cincinnati, Ohio. Referred to in popular culture as drones, partially self-aware machines will apply nail-polish, wash customers’ hair, and sweep up fallen clippings at ‘Automated Beauty’ on Chestnut street in downtown Rappsville. Until fully self-directed robots are developed that can all the work a living salon agent normally performs, the tread-mounted machines at ‘Automated Beauty’ will be directed by human operators stationed in New Delhi, India. “At first, we were worried about the potential safety risk of allowing machines fitted with sharp scissors to cut the hair of our many wonderful clients,” said Rasheed M. Blattersmied, 37, who owns the salon. “But after a few successful test runs and in light of the positive feedback we’ve received, we plan to have have six more robots up and running by early next year.” Affiliated Appearance Management Specialists International, a beauty-salon-worker trade union with members in 14 countries, decried the arrival of robots in a field long thought immune to automation. “Our affiliates will fight whitened tooth and sparkly nail against this assault on such a storied institution as beauty management,” said Theodora U’Unaha, the union’s sitting president. “This field is founded on artistic ability, not source code. What’s next - robotic wig-makers? Automated plastic surgeons? Sheesh.”
© JPR / whorphan / americanifesto / 場黑麥
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