Do robots take away jobs from humans?

From an interview of Adept CEO John Dulchinos by GetRobo’s Noriko Kageki: Did you know that there are a billion cell phones per year being made globally of which 200-300 million are sold in the U.S. but not a single one is built in the U.S.? Ten years ago that was not the case. If the industry can’t remain competitive, then there are no jobs. And robots are automating tasks no longer done by hand. But in almost all cases those people are redeployed into other applications in the plant and allow the plant to grow and get much more efficient.

BusinessWeek magazine reported this week that 15 of the top 50 Most Innovative Companies in 2010 are Asian, up from 5 in 2006. And, the majority in the top 25 are based outside the U.S.