Big Read: Don't fear the robots - they're not coming to devour our jobs

Well they are, but not quite as remorselessly or as swiftly as the movies might have conditioned us to imagine. And when the robot age does arrive, the impact on New Zealand -- in jobs and economic disruption -- may not be as apocalyptic as some future scenarios imagine. At least that is the position of two leading robotics researchers, Armin Werner of Lincoln Agritech, and Bruce MacDonald, an Auckland University computer engineering specialist with over 30 years' skin in the robot game. Werner, whose background is in precision agriculture that will have its most advanced developments in robotics, believes the broad use of automation will create more jobs, at least at the skilled end of the labour market. His view is that the embrace of technology will lead to different forms of work, rather than making work more difficult.