Robot workers are already here, and they’re indispensable to our modern lives.

Shipping

Our imported goods—like furniture, electronics, computers and appliances—are delivered from ship to shore by cranes, then shuffled around by automated machines and trucks.

Autostrads move large containers at shipping ports.

Retail

Many internet shopping orders are sent to huge warehouses. Finding the ordered items on foot is exhausting and time consuming, so little robots are used to collect them.

Kiva bots shuffle items around huge warehouses.

Agriculture

Flying robots collect vital information on farms and inspect the health of plants. Other robots find and identify weeds and spray them without harming other nearby plants.

Drones collect data and inspect crops.

The ladybird robot sprays and kills weeds

Mining

Robots are used to conduct mining operations in a safer and more efficient way. In Western Australia, 14 mines are operated remotely from a control centre near Perth Airport.

Autonomous mining vehicles drill and move rocks.

More information

Still curious? Find out more about automated labour.