Robotics - from Science Fiction to Fact?

I have been fascinated to see the developments in robotics technologies over the last few years. It seems to me that their is a tipping point approaching, where advances in areas such as video analytics, autonomy and intelligence, robotic dexterity, and manouevrability will lead to highly useful robots with the potential for wide ubiquity in society. A trend definitely worth tracking. Science fiction could become fact faster than we think! I have linked to some interesting companies and research, to whet your appetite.