"Novelty items during the 18th Century, robots today are fast becoming the driving force behind a new technological revolution. While today's robots can diagnose certain kinds of cancer or aid in the design of buildings, programmed machines will never surpass human intelligence. Fears persist, however, because estimates show that 3 ½ million people will lose their jobs to robot workers by 1990. This revealing film takes a hard look at robots, fact and fiction, while uncovering some important trends in the way we will think about and use robots in the future." - Summary from the teacher's guide.