Robots are used to milk cows and thus help to automate farming, and one very important part of service robots are those used by the military.

BBC: Robots: Brave New World moves a step closer

In 2008, the total world robot population including service and industrial robots was 8.6 million ande xpected to grow to 13 million by the end of 2012.

ENGADGET: SAMI robot has motion detection from the company behind Kinect's 3D sensors, washboard abs (video)

RoboEarth is likely to become a tool for the growing number of service and domestic robots that many expect to become a feature in homes in coming decades.

BBC: Robots to get their own internet

As robots advance into the service industries they are starting to look less like machines and more like living creatures.

ECONOMIST: Schumpeter

These robots are being used at Foxconn for the same reason that self-service checkout counters are being used in supermarkets, for the same reason that self-service yoghurt shops proliferate.

FORBES: Foxconn to Automate: Be Careful What You Wish For