It's already happening, just not in the way sci-fi movies portray it. It's software. You asked when will robots become barbers and cashiers? They aren't being

It's already happening, just not in the way sci-fi movies portray it. It's software. You asked when will robots become barbers and cashiers? They aren't being built for that purpose because they are much more efficient at mental challenges than physical ones. Is is appropriate to use AI and robotics for subtracting $2.34 from $10.00 and handing over the change at McDonalds? No. It is more appropriately deployed in a payments company to crunch huge amounts of data looking for fraud. Look at LegalZoom's software and how much it has replaced the need for lawyers when dealing with legal documents. The advantages to software deployed over the web, to physical robotics are obvious. Software can be everywhere at once and is cheap to replicate. It can be updated and patched easily. The "brain" is not susceptible to the dangers of traversing around and is kept safe and constantly backed up. I think software is replacing the sci-fi robotics we've seen in movies. But there are still interesting companies working on modern robotics, In fact Anybots is run in the same office as YC and http://www.kivasystems.com/ http://www.kivasystems.com/ is another great example. If you are concerned about robotics replacing "people" in jobs, then rest assured barbers and cashiers are safe and sound. It is scientists, lawyers, doctors, and engineers who should be concerned. Another interesting thing to watch is whether software can be creative and compete with designers, artists, and writers.