At home, work and play, the robots are coming

In May, Hong Kong became the base for Hanson Robotics, a company founded in the United States with the aim of developing bio-inspired technology for use on human-like robots with neuro-inspired artificial intelligence. A video on its website features a robot version of science writer Philip K. Dick, who tells a smiling interviewer: "Don't worry, even if I evolve into Terminator, I will still be nice to you."

While the wires protruding from its head show its evolution to Terminator has a long way to go, the invention is part of a fast-evolving field of technology.

May also saw Hong Kong-based venture capital fund Deep Knowledge Ventures add some artificial intelligence to its board - a learning program called Vital capable of making investment recommendations.

Worldwide, there are numerous developments taking place in the field of robotics. Some are comical, a few are downright scary.

Perhaps the scariest is South Korea's SGR-1 robot sentry. Developed by Samsung Techwin, it stands around half the height of a human. There's no attempt to resemble a person. Instead, it totes a machine gun plus a grenade launcher, which can be swivelled and aimed based on heat and motion sensors capable of detecting humans up to three kilometres away.

Though a promotional video conjures up scenes from Robocop, there's no concern that SGR-1 might become self-aware and rampage against its creators, as it requires a remote human operator to give permission to open fire. Since 2006, an undisclosed number of these sentries have been keeping watch along the border between North and South Korea. They never lose concentration, and are always watching.

Samsung Techwin spokesman Huh Kwang-hak was quoted in Britain's Daily Mail newspaper as saying: "The SGR-1 can and will prevent wars."