Google has been on a shopping spree for tech firms that specialize in robotics -- so vigorously that it has had many scratching their heads wondering, what does Google have in store? The answer is a world not just connected digitally, but physically as well.

Smartphones and other mobile devices have granted billions of citizens unprecedented access to the Internet, where data can be collected and used in a meaningful manner. Google's own search engine is an excellent example of this. What if the same concept could be applied to hardware?

"Robots, like smartphones, are platforms for products and services. Data-obsessed organizations like Google need to ensure that they aren't disinter-mediated in the 'last mile' to the user, and that means getting involved in the physical world with hardware," writes Forrester senior analyst Anthony Mullen on his blog.

"The robotics play here is essentially on the same trajectory -- control and influence in the 'last mile,' where data is gleaned from the physical world and activities performed are informed by intelligence from the cloud and edge networks."

In 2013 alone, Google acquired eight robotics companies, including Shaft Inc., Industrial Perception, Inc., Redwood Robotics, Meka Robotics, Holomini, Bot & Dolly, Boston Dynamics, and DeepMind Technologies. The scope of these companies covers a wide terrain, including search-and-rescue, smarter artificial intelligence, military applications, and even some domestic purposes. Boston Dynamics, for instance, has developed the world's fastest legged robot, the Cheetah, as well as a tiny RC-like bot that can jump up to 30 feet in the air.

The prospects are exciting: teaming up some of the world's premier robotics firms with one of the world's premier search, data, and software firms. Sadly, Google has been relatively mum, and most information about what exactly Google plans to do with these acquisitions are merely just hints.

"We're experimenting with what automation will lead to," Google chairman Eric Schmidt said at a March 4 conference in Santa Monica. "Robots will become omnipresent in our lives in a good way."

"The biggest thing will be artificial intelligence," Schmidt said at Oasis: The Montgomery Summit. "Technology is evolving from asking a question to making a relevant recommendation. It will figure out things you care about and make recommendations. That's possible with today's technology."

One such example of such an enterprise is Google Now, which Google has constantly touted as the personal assistant that will answer your question before it is asked.

A recent Wall Street Journal report revealed that Google was in talks with Foxconn, the Taiwanese based technology manufacturer of popular products like the iPhone, to help make production lines more automated. The idea is to create specialized robots that can handle everything from the factory right to the customer's doorstep.

"Using robots to replace human workers would be the next big thing in the technology industry. Not just Google, other major technology companies such as Microsoft and Amazon also have been developing robotics technology to capture the future growth opportunities," said Wanli Wang, an analyst at CIMB Securities in The Wall Street Journal report.

Of course, what Google will eventually come up with is still a mystery. Google recently won the lease for Silicon Valley icon Hangar One, prompting many to speculate, what does Google need an 8-acre hanger for? Hopefully not to house a robot army.