Just look at industries with products that can’t be directly handled by humans: The semiconductor industry, where the product is too small for human hands, has been building vast automated facilities since the IC revolution began and the American auto industry started to fill factories with robots back in the 1970s. This leads me to this question: Why the renewed interest? Robots were perfectly capable of automatically manufacturing complex things decades ago. There are many videos like that, and the media is rebroadcasting them with enthusiasm. Another professionally put-together report from the land of (almost) no workers. That is, until you see the video on how Tesla Model S is made.

The conclusion is inescapable: Sir James Dyson must be the overlord of robots. It’s a city full of wonders, completely devoid of boring humans. How else can you feel after watching a video showing the production of motors for Dyson vacuums? The video is sexy as hell - shiny machines executing a complex dance in perfect unison. I know how they feel, because I feel the same way. The media’s current infatuation with industrial robots and automated manufacturing has these guys whipped into a frenzy. Some of these folks hold high offices in various business enterprises, where they broadcast their love for robots into their working environments. Now please allow me to make an obvious observation: Like me, many folks think robots in general, and industrial robots in particular, are very cool.

I especially love industrial robots: They help us “make” things. To me, robots are cooler than people, who are only cool occasionally. Before we begin, I feel compelled to make an important disclosure: I love robots! Robots are cool.

List of robot manufacturers