[robots0only]

The 1 million robot number that Amazon keeps on using is a quite nuanced. It includes more ~800K robots that simply just move stuff in a 2D plane. I think the number of robots that actually manipulate things is far far less (probably less than 500) (but really no human wants to just move things from A to B).

Also, I completely agree with what you said. Cars (w/ no self-driving) can be thought of as primitive robots (just like robots of today). For good or bad, we will move towards more and more automation.

[Animats]

The simple Kiva mobile platforms are most of the robot count, but they replaced large numbers of people who did walk around warehouses moving stuff from A to B.

[rangestransform]

IIRC Amazon laid off the entire team that was working on manipulation research at the Boston area Amazon Robotics

[Animats]

They did? Amazon has recently been showing their Vulkan picking robot, and Aaron Parness still seems to be at Amazon.