THIS army of tiny orange robots which can sort up to 200,000 packages every DAY in a Chinese warehouse are providing an alarming glimpse of what the future could hold in factories around the world.

These miniature machines, each just 7.5 inches, follow a set route and transport parcels from the assembly line to the departure gates where they are then dispatched.

3 These tiny machines can work non-stop for eight hours after being fully charged and have practically eliminated mistakes at the warehouse Credit: STO Express

3 The orange machines, each 7.5 inches (19cm) tall, began working at STO Express in November last year

In the STO Express building in Liny, Shandong Province, the 300 robots can get through 20,000 parcels every hour.

The self-charging workers have saved the company, which has 300,000 employees, a staggering 70 per cent of manpower.

They began operating in November last year at two of the company's warehouses.

The robots can identify the destination of a parcel through a code scan - practically eliminating mistakes.

Once fully charged they can work eight hours flat out.

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A spokesman from HIKVISION told MailOnline: "It would take workers five hours to sort the same number of parcels the robots sort in three hours.

'"In addition, workers might make mistakes, handle parcels violently or become stressed and tired under high pressure."

The machines were developed by Chinese digital technology company HIKVISION.

3 These tiny orange robots are providing a glimpse of the future as they have saved Chinese company STO Express 70 per cent of manpower

Chinese manufacturers have been increasingly replacing human workers with machines, the output of industrial robots grew 30.4 per cent last year, reports CNBC.

Apple's supplier FoxConn last year replaced 60,000 factory workers with robots, according to a Chinese government official in Kunshan, eastern Jiangsu province.

The International Bar Association, a global organisation for lawyers, claimed in a report that the technological revolution will destroy the workplace as we know it.

It's predicted machines are expected to replace 250,000 civil servants to save taxpayers billions by 2030.

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