From a story on 60 Minutes: What is the real story behind industrial mass unemployment in the USA? Robotics has taken over manufacturing and warehousing jobs that created the US middle class, now automation is coming for service jobs, medical jobs, agribusiness jobs, financial jobs, etc.
At the last big material handling trade show in Chicago, IL we saw Kiva Systems robotic shelving on display. Kiva Systems provides a breakthrough material handling system for automating order fulfillment in distribution centers, warehouses and manufacturing plants.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3I-teuk_B8