Advanced automation/See also

• Turning virtual designs into physical objects (digital manufacturing) - for information on various smaller scale computer-controlled flexible manufacturing techniques
• Nanotechnology

Open-source robotics

Not manufacturing as such, but an important part of the jigsaw:

• Willow Garage, started by an early Google employee, and has close links with Stanford University. They are developing ROS (Robot Operating System) , OpenCV and the PR2 hardware platform. Mission & History