The robots are coming

The NYT looks at how better robotic technology is starting to have a transformative effect in manufacturing and distribution. Improvements in vision, touch and sensing technologies and more flexible software means robots are becoming much more capable.

We’re on the cusp of completely changing manufacturing and distribution,” said Gary Bradski, a machine-vision scientist who is a founder of Industrial Perception. “I think it’s not as singular an event, but it will ultimately have as big an impact as the Internet.”

We've seen before how Foxconn is planning to replace most of its Chinese workforce with robots in coming years. Improved algorithms are also an important part of the story.