Happy Friday, dear readers!

Your humble blogger has posted often enough about technology replacing the worker, but apparently, the bright and friendly kiosks we can expect to see at Wendy’s and the nice shiny security robots are only half the story.  More recently, I stumbled upon this new product hitting the markets soon: a robot to take out some of the more heavy and injury causing law enforcement work.

In case you’re not inclined to watch the video, the dangerous work of going into a room with an armed assailant or criminal is now replaced by a VCR-sized robot that can roll up stairs, offer night-vision to the police officer controlling it, and even has a handgun in its frame that can shoot the “bad guy.”

Now, don’t get me wrong – devices like these make the more dangerous aspects of law enforcement safer, and the benefits will be reaped by peace officers and tax payers alike – fewer injuries, more effective policing.

But this is another demonstration of how technology is slowly stomping out workers’ compensation as we know it, and is making many of the rules currently in place less relevant.

Can we expect cities and counties to need fewer police officers on duty?  Can we expect fewer injuries?

The trend seems to be continuing in one way – more and more of the tasks that California saw performed by human employees over the last 50-100 years are getting replaced by technological advancements, and law enforcement is not being spared.

Are you ready?