We’ve known for some time that the machines are coming to get us — and now they’re also jumping, spinning and tackling even the toughest terrain with the greatest of ease.

US engineering and robotics design company Boston Dynamics has this week released new footage of its incredible advanced robotics creation, Handle . . . and its agility has to be seen to be believed.

Handle is a research robot that stands 6.5ft tall, travels at 15km/h and has a vertical jump of 4ft.

​It uses electric power to operate both electric and hydraulic actuators, with a range of about 24km on one battery charge. ​​​

Boston Dynamics uses sensor-based controls and computation to unlock the capabilities of complex mechanisms, and has worked with the US Army, Navy and Marine Corps.

Play Video A time lapse of Fastbrick Robotics hard at work The West Australian Video A time lapse of Fastbrick Robotics hard at work

Such technology could also be used to make advances in the manufacturing and service sectors.

Virgin Australia chairwoman Elizabeth Bryan today told the Australian Institute of Company Directors’ governance summit in Melbourne that automation and robotics will put large numbers of service sector jobs at risk, but companies seeking to embrace the change will face “serious” resistance.

“Jobs in the service sector that were largely immune from job losses during the last stage of globalisation are now at risk because of these advances in robotics,” Ms Bryan said.

“However, don’t think for a moment that boards will be able to drive waves of mass reduction in employment without very serious pushback.”

The service sector is by far the biggest employer in Australia, as it is in most developed countries, and no company can afford to be left behind in the race to cut costs, she said.

It is not just low-skill occupations being hit by advances in technology, with many university-educated, white-collar workers about to discover their jobs are also under threat from software automation and predictive algorithms, Ms Bryan said.

Play Video Robotic barmen whip up cocktails on board Ovation of the Seas. The West Australian Video Robotic barmen whip up cocktails on board Ovation of the Seas.

“This means that education will not necessarily offer effective protection against job automation in the future,” she said.

A professional director, who is also chairman of insurer IAG and recently stepped down from the board of Westpac, Ms Bryan warned no company was immune from cyber attack, and boards must be aware of their cyber security measures.

The cost of cyber attacks is more than the gross domestic product of about 160 of the 196 countries in the world, she said.

“Cyber security has grown into such a mission-critical function that it must come out of the technical backroom and become part of the expertise of a boardroom,” Ms Bryan said.