So the Federal Aviation Administration has given Amazon.com, Inc. permission to begin testing delivery drones in the U.S. But there are still a number of logistical hurdles to be overcome, before the technology becomes feasible for everyday commercial use.

For many of us trying to navigate the 21st Century, it's become sensible – healthy, even – to maintain a simmering, low-grade paranoia about the impending robot revolution. Advances in automation and robotics are impacting virtually every area of technology and industry.