Covering The Robot Takeover

Marketplace focuses on the robot takeover of our economy:

We're gonna take some time this week -- all week, actually -- and spend it on technology and jobs. Arguably, the two biggest factors in where our economy's going. We're going to call it, "Robots Ate My Job." Who's winning and who's losing as technology becomes an ever bigger part of our lives. It's not unreasonable to think, here in late March of 2012, that you might be able to drive clear across the country and never interact with anyone. No humans. Only machines.
Marketplace's David Brancaccio is trying to do just that. He put the Atlantic Ocean and the great state of New Jersey behind him on Saturday.
David Brancaccio: I'm refueling in Sugar Hill, Tenn., 2,229 miles to go to the Golden Gate Bridge. Technology only, avoiding human contact. Sleeping at Hyatt Place hotels that have the option of robot receptionists. Swiped myself in with my card and the key to the room comes out a slot. We're told that on balance, good and better jobs come from all the technology that makes a trip like this possible. But experts are warning this is now changing. In Pittsburgh the other day...

Brancaccio: This guy right here. Who's this?

I ran into a robot that takes queries.

Brancaccio: Here's a great question: Will robots take over the world?

Andy Roid: Will robots take over the world? Yes, and the revolution is set for a week from Saturday. Ha. OK, I'm kidding. It's this Thursday! I'm kidding again, haha.

That's "Andy Roid," the human-shape, human-sized centerpiece of at the Carnegie Science Center's Roboworld, the biggest robot exhibit on the planet.

We need lots of stairs to slow these bastards down.