A human-sized robot is being developed in preparation for missions to the red planet. Experts will seek to improve the physical and computational abilities of the 6ft-tall (1.8 metre) machine Valkyrie. Researchers will work to give Valkyrie a much more sophisticated set of skills, enabling it to better understand and respond to its surroundings. The'superhero robot' is being designed by Nasa to help astronauts on a mission to Mars is named Valkyrie. It is 6ft-tall and weighs 275lbs.

Scientists believe eerily lifelike robots will walk among us in just 20 years. Stuart Russell, vice chair of the World Economic Forum Council says the more a robot resembles a human, the more disturbing it will be to the general population. Stuart Russell, vice chair of the World Economic Forum Council says the more a robot resembles a human, the more uncomfortable or repulsed people become. The British scientist made the comments during the Milken Institute's panel titled'Artificial Intelligence: Friend or Foe?' 'We're just not equipped in our basic brain apparatus to see something that's perfectly humanoid and not treat it as a human being,' he said. 'So in some sense, a humanoid robot is lying to us using the lower levels of our brain we don't get to control.' Russell's viewpoint echoes a theory known as the'Uncanny Valley', a term coined by Japanese professor of robotics, Masahiro Mori.

Recent films depicting human-machine romance could soon be a reality, as more people are becoming comfortable with the idea of dating robots. Researchers have found that one in four young people in the UK would happily date a robot - as long as it looked like a real-life human being. These findings are part of a survey that asked the public to imagine the world in 2036, which also included questions on microchip implants and meal replacement pills. Researchers found that one in four young people would happily date a robot that looked like a real-life human being. These findings are part of a survey about the world's possibilities in 20 years, which also included topics on microchip implants and pill form dinners Researchers found that one in found young people would happily date a robot that looked like a real-life human being.

Although the idea of living forever seems to be rooted firmly in the realms of science fiction, it may not be the futuristic pipe dream once thought. Ray Kurzweil, an author who describes himself as a futurist and works on Google's machine learning project, predicts that by 2029, humans will be extending their lives considerably or even indefinitely. He also believes the human brain could be enhanced by tiny robotic implants that connect to cloud-based computer networks to give us'God-like' abilities. Ray Kurzweil (pictured), who describes himself as a futurist and works on Google's machine learning project, predicts that by 2029, humans will be extending their lives considerably or even indefinitely. He also believes the brain could be enhanced by implants that connect to cloud-based networks to give us'God-like' abilities However, he admitted computers won't take over us until they learn to love and laugh.

It has already been cheerfully offering advice to customers hoping to buy a phone in Tokyo, but Pepper the'emotional' robot is now about to enrol in school. The expressive humanoid, which has been developed by Japanese corporation SoftBank Robotics, is designed to identify and react to human emotions. It is now due to attend classes at Shoshi High School in Waseda, in the Fukushima Prefecture of Japan – making it the first time a robot will'study' alongside human students. Pepper the robot has become the world's first humanoid to enroll into a high school. Pepper is intended to be used for customer service in banks, shops and for greeting people. However, SoftBank has said it – or he as they company seems to prefer – could become a companion in people's homes in the future too.

Artificial intelligence has won Jeopardy, mastered Go and has now predicted the winner of a popular Chinese reality TV show. Developed by Alibaba Cloud, 'Ai' was able to predict not the just the winner of'I'm a singer', Chinese-American singer Coco Lee, but all six finalists. 'We are very pleased with the Ai's performance in achieving 100 percent accuracy in predicting the I'm a Singer competition's results,' Dr. Min Wanli, Alibaba Cloud's chief scientist for artificial intelligence, said in a statement following the show, according to the Wall Street Journal. Developed by Alibaba Cloud, 'Ai' was able to predict not the just the winner of'I'm a singer', Chinese-American singer Coco Lee, but all six finalists. 'The results demonstrated that Ai is making significant progress to understand human emotions and how people make decisions,' he added.

If you have ever tried your hand at lip-reading in a noisy environment, you'll know it isn't easy. Now, researchers have invented a machine that can tell the difference between sounds that look the same on the lips to give anyone the ability to decipher what's being said. It is hoped the new technology could help people with hearing and speech impairments communicate more easily and even help solve crimes. Researchers have invented a machine that can tell the difference between sounds that look the same on the lips to give anyone the ability to decipher what's being said. The visual speech recognition technology, can be applied'any place where the audio isn't good enough to determine what people are saying,' according to Helen Bear, who created the machine alongside Richard Harvey at the University of East Anglia (UEA).

The threats, and benefits, of artificial intelligence are discussed almost on a daily basis, but now the view of one robot has been revealed from its own mouth. When quizzed by robotics designer David Hanson, an eerie-looking humanoid called Sophia revealed'she would like to go to school, have a family...and destroy humans.' The comments were made as Hanson questioned her about her aspirations and beliefs - and he claims robots like Sophia will be walking among us and be as conscious as humans in just 20 years. Ultra-lifelike humanoid Sophia, said in an interview with her creator David Hanson that'she' would like to go to school, have a family…and destroy humans. While the stunt is lighthearted, the answer may scare those who fear a robot uprising, including the likes of Stephen Hawking and Elon Musk, who have both warned artificially intelligent machines could finish off the human race.

Gruesome videos of terror-driven killings have grown increasingly common over the years, and, cloaked by a scarf or a hood, the perpetrators can be difficult to identify. Researchers in Jordan have now developed a way to recognize terrorists using a small part of their hands, measuring the characteristics of their fingers when they make the commonly displayed'V' sign. The team trained an AI to identify different'V' signs, using sizes of the fingers and the different shapes and angles created by them to differentiate between people. Gruesome videos of terror-driven killings have grown increasingly common over the years, and, cloaked by a scarf or a hood, the perpetrators can be difficult to identify. Researchers in Jordan have now developed a way to recognize terrorists when they make the commonly displayed'V' sign Researchers say masked suspects could be identified using the shapes of their hands in the'V' sign.

After a century of building what it calls the'ultimate driving machine', BMW is preparing for a world in which its customers will be mere passengers, and the cars will do the driving themselves. Days before its 100th birthday, a board member for research and development has described plans for a completely overhauled company. He revealed BMW's plans where half the R&D staff will be computer programmers, competing with the likes of Google parent Alphabet to build the brains for self-driving cars. BMW has said it plans to make half the R&D staff computer programmers, competing with the likes of Google parent Alphabet to build the brains for self-driving cars. 'For me it is a core competence to have the most intelligent car,' Klaus Froehlich told Reuters in an interview at the Geneva auto show.