Robotics is going to turn some kind of corner in the next few years, pushing robots further & faster up the capability pyramid, and rendering even more citizens effectively useless for any practical purpose. I keep seeing harbingers. Here are a couple from the automotive front. Here is a self-driving VW Golf.
And this is from a friend at Stanford:
“Stanford’s DARPA challenge winning, fully automatic car is a major milestone in the history of robotics and AI. The next challenge is street driving in Palo Alto, the DARPA Urban Challenge.
“Stanley, Stanford University’s Robot Car – DARPA Grand Winner
How It Works: 132 miles. 23 vehicles. 0 drivers. Stanley, a VW Touareg, wins the race of the century (so far).”