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| comment | | "parent_author":"",<br>"parent_permlink":"life",<br>"author":"helenjames",<br>"permlink":"levisdistressedlookrobotisbetterfortheenvironment-nwy2xszgsg",<br>"title":"Levi's \"Distressed Look\" Robot Is Better for the Environment",<br>"body":"<center>https:\/\/wishtech.science\/helenjames\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2018\/03\/bart-laser-e1519686498462-600x315.jpg<\/center> <br \/><br><p> \n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h5>In Brief<\/h5> \n\t\t\t\t\t\tLevi's now uses laser-wielding robots to make distressed jeans more efficiently. Though the tech is better for the environment,<br> it could lead to job losses.\t\t\t\t\t<\/p><div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2>Lasers and Levi\u2019s<\/h2>\n<p>From faded fabrics to shredded knees,<br> the \u201cdistressed look\u201d is all the rage in the world of denim jeans. Now,<br> the clothing company Levi\u2019s has found a way to keep up with that latest fashion demand while saving time and the environment. Their secret? A laser-equipped robot.<\/p>\n<p>In 2013,<br> Levi\u2019s established their Eureka Lab,<br> a research and development center that combined technology and fashion. This innovation lab\u2019s latest breakthrough is <a href=\"http:\/\/levistrauss.com\/unzipped-blog\/2018\/02\/project-f-l-x-redefines-future-jeans-designed-made-sold\/\" target=\"_blank\">Project F.L.X<\/a>. (short for future-led execution) \u2014\u00a0a new way of styling jeans that utilizes software and lasers instead of sandpaper and chemicals.<\/p>\n<p><iframe width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/SMDlbNpE6dU?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"autoplay; encrypted-media\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Project F.L.X. could transform the jean finishing process,<br> or when the pants get given their signature distressed look,<br> from the prototype stage all the way to mass production.<\/p>\n<p>Levi\u2019s designers use new software to sketch out a specific look for a pair of jeans. Then,<br> they send that design file to the robot,<br> which uses lasers to recreate the look on a basic pair of jeans. Instead of each prototype requiring between 12 and 18 steps,<br> the process is now just three.<\/p>\n<p>According to Levi\u2019s,<br> this cuts the time needed to develop and finish a design in half,<br> which can help the company stay on top of the latest trends.<\/p>\n<p>Project F.L.X. also streamlines the process of replicating the look of a pair of genuinely vintage jeans. A designer simply takes a photograph of the jeans,<br> illustrates it,<br> and send it to the robot. Wherever there\u2019s a hole or a rip in the illustration,<br> the laser puts a hole or a rip in the jeans. The robot completes in 90 seconds what would take a human worker eight to 12 minutes.<\/p>\n<p>Once a designer decides on a look,<br> Levi\u2019s can use the digital file to accurately mass produce it in their factories across the globe.<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 783px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img src=\"https:\/\/wp-assets.futurism.com\/2018\/03\/Bart-Sights-Eureka-on-floor-w-Jeans-1200x800.jpg\" alt=\"Image Credit: Levi's\" width=\"783\" height=\"380\" \/><br><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Image Credit: Levi\u2019s.<\/figcaption><\/figure><p>Levi\u2019s has vowed to completely eliminate the discharge of any hazardous chemicals into the environment. This new finishing system has the potential to go a long way toward helping them reach that goal,<br> especially if the system is widely implemented \u2014 which Levi\u2019s states it plans to do.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re all in,<br> we\u2019re going for it,<br>\u201d Liz O\u2019Neill,<br> Levi\u2019s supply chain officer,<br> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fastcompany.com\/40533097\/levis-invented-a-laser-wielding-robot-that-makes-ethical-jeans\" target=\"_blank\">told <i>Fast Company<\/i><\/a>. \u201cOur intention is that for 2019 and beyond,<br> we\u2019re going to have scaled this technology. We\u2019re going to be making upwards of 75 million pairs of denim like this.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Replacing Workers?<\/h2>\n<p>Unlike some <a href=\"https:\/\/futurism.com\/dystopian-robot-tailor-makes-terrible-shirts\/\" target=\"_blank\">artificially intelligent clothing-making machines<\/a>,<br> the garments that Levi\u2019s new system produces are still designed by humans. However,<br> while designers aren\u2019t pushed out of the manufacturing process by Project F.L.X.,<br> other workers could be.<\/p>\n<p>By saving the company time,<br> Levi\u2019s Project F.L.X. presumably saves it money as well,<br> or at least it will after the company recoups upfront costs. This,<br> combined with the environmental benefits,<br> could be enough to encourage other jean manufacturers to follow suit with their own laser-wielding robots.<\/p>\n<p><iframe width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/PFC5Kv3KSU4?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"autoplay; encrypted-media\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>The garment industry is notorious for its inhospitable working conditions,<br> and in jean manufacturing factories across the globe,<br> workers risk exposure to <a href=\"http:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/news\/2014-05-15\/more-jeans-added-to-recall-list-over-cancer-fears\/5454930\" target=\"_blank\">cancer-causing chemical dyes<\/a> while <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2015\/03\/sandblasting-chinese-jean-factories-150311170049076.html\" target=\"_blank\">inhaling the fine particles of sand<\/a>\u00a0typically used to distress jeans.<\/p>\n<p>If the companies that follow Levi\u2019s lead retrain their workers to perform other,<br> less dangerous jobs,<br> everyone will benefit from the new system.<\/p>\n<p>However,<br> if Project F.L.X. results in those already vulnerable workers moving from low-paying,<br> dangerous jobs to no jobs at all,<br> the laser-robot technology could prove to be less of an environmentally-friendly way to manufacture jeans,<br> and more like another <a href=\"https:\/\/futurism.com\/137-million-southeast-asian-workers-could-lose-their-jobs-to-automation-in-the-next-20-years\/\" target=\"_blank\">threat to the global human workforce<\/a>.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div><script>\n\t\t\t\t!function(f,<br>b,<br>e,<br>v,<br>n,<br>t,<br>s) if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function() n.callMethod?\n\t\t\t\t\tn.callMethod.apply(n,<br>arguments):n.queue.push(arguments) ;if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;\n\t\t\t\t\tn.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';n.queue=[ ;t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;\n\t\t\t\t\tt.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0 ;s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,<br>s) (window,<br>\n\t\t\t\t\tdocument,<br>'script',<br>'https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/fbevents.js');\n\t\t\t\tfbq('init',<br> '286353685112848'); \/\/ Insert your pixel ID here.\n\t\t\t\tfbq('track',<br> 'PageView');\n\t\t\t<\/script><script>\n\t\twindow.fbAsyncInit = function() \n\t\t\tFB.init( \n\t\t\t\tappId : '409372332760912',<br>\n\t\t\t\tversion : 'v2.8',<br>\n\t\t\t\tstatus : true,<br>\n\t\t\t\tcookie : true,<br>\n\t\t\t\txfbml : true,<br>\n\t\t\t\toauth : true\n\t\t\t );\n\t\t ;\n\t\t(function(d,<br> s,<br> id) \n\t\t\tvar js,<br> fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0 ;\n\t\t\tif (d.getElementById(id)) return; \n\t\t\tjs = d.createElement(s); js.id = id;\n\t\t\tjs.src = \"http:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v2.8\";\n\t\t\tfjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,<br> fjs);\n\t\t (document,<br> 'script',<br> 'facebook-jssdk'));\n\t<\/script>\r\n<br><a href=\"https:\/\/futurism.com\/levis-jean-distressing-robot-environment\/\">Source <\/a>",<br>"json_metadata":" \"community\":\"steempress\",<br>\"app\":\"steempress\/1.0.1\",<br>\"tags\":[\"life\",<br>\"news\",<br>\"science\",<br>\"steemit\",<br>\"technology\" " | | comment_options | "author":"helenjames",
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