From The Terminator to Transcendence, Hollywood sci-fi films have taught us not to trust robots. Now one expert has made a prediction that's just as terrifying as the bleakest plot: that in the future, intelligent robots will be smarter and faster than humans, take over the running of countries and have the ability to wipe us out altogether. Dr Stuart Armstrong believes it's a race against time to develop safeguards around artificial intelligence research, before robots outwit us - or even accidentally cause our demise. Speaking at a debate on artificial intelligence in London, he warned that humans could be wiped out even if robots are instructed to protect people. Dr Armstrong, based at the Future of Humanity Institute at Oxford University, predicted that robots will be increasingly integral to our everyday lives, doing menial tasks, but will eventually make humans redundant and take over,The Telegraph reported.

Before you pull on your loafers, double denim and flat cap, you may want to turn to technology for advice. Scientists have created a mathematical model that can give people fashion tips by analysing the latest season trends. The system uses an algorithm to provide a score on how fashionable your outfit or tell you if you're a walking disaster. Scientists have created a computer that can give people fashion tips by analysing the latest season trends. The technology was developed by Spain's Institute of Robotics and Industrial Informatics, along with colleagues at the University of Toronto.

He may be a driving force behind artificial intelligence, but Elon Musk is also one of its most outspoken critics. The Tesla-founder has previously compared AI research to'summoning the devil' and claims that intelligent robots could someday spell the end for humanity. Now the billionaire has revealed he is funding 37 research projects to make sure humans can control future robotic systems. He may be a driving force behind artificial intelligence, but Elon Musk is also one of its most outspoken critics. The Tesla-founder has previously compared AI research to'summoning the devil'.

Forget selfies burnt into toast and marshmallows printed with your portrait, the next trend will be to have your face immortalised on a pancake. A research and design team has created a concept 3D printer that combines facial recognition with a hot plate and layers of batter to create complex images. And the printing has the capability to be perfectly timed using algorithms so the lighter and darker tones of the face are captured, and cooked, with precision. The idea was developed by research and innovation experts at Bristol-based Kinneir Dufort. It uses Computer Numerical Control (CNC) technology to convert online designs into numbers, similar to coordinates on a graph.

Intelligent computers that take over the world and an incurable virus that kills off the human race might sound like plots worthy of a Hollywood blockbuster - but scientists insist they are real threats. They are just two of the 12 ways the world could end, according to new research. A team from Oxford University's Future of Humanity Institute and the Global Challenges Foundation has come up with the first serious scientific assessment of the apocalyptic risks we face. Apocalypse:The danger of a supervolcano - one capable of producing an eruption 1,000 times larger than normal - is the amount of aerosols and dust sent into the atmosphere as they could create a'volcanic winter' A few of the scenarios arise from events that are out of our control - such as an asteroid hitting the Earth or the eruption of a supervolcano - but most emerge from human advancements. Some of these developments, particularly those that are technological, have the potential to bring great benefits humans - but could also lead to our demise.

Uploading dozens of photos and tagging each one on Facebook can be tedious, and it appears the social network knows this. It recently created an algorithm that identifies faces'as accurately as a human' and offers tag suggestions which the user can accept, or reject. The technology - called DeepFace - was first showcased last March, but the site has now started rolling out the automatic tagging tool to select users. Facebook's DeepFace technology uses a 3D model to virtually rotate faces so that are facing the camera. DeepFace uses technology designed by an Israeli startup called face.com.

British academics have helped develop a robot, which is both a home help and a friend to older people who may be ill, trapped and alone. The Care-O-bot 3 is much more like a utilitarian household appliance than the action figures that featured in the futuristic film iRobot, starring Will Smith. And she - or he - is more likely to offer a Karaoke sing along and make a cup of coffee than go on a murderous rampage - or at least that is the idea. A UK team has designed a robot butler called Care-O-Bot 3 (shown). The machine has a flexible arm that can pick up drinks.

A smart home full of devices connected to each other, as well as domestic robots are closer than we think, according to one futurologist. This year has seen a rush in the popularity of smart gadgets, with items like 3D printers and smart thermostats making it onto Christmas lists for the first time. The trend is a sign of the way technology will accelerate in 2015, according to London-based futurologist Dr James Bellini. Tipping pint: According to a recent survey, 26 per cent if people are most looking forward to getting a robot helper in the home. Technology giant Honda already has a domestic robot, Asimo (left).

Mice injected with human brain cells grow to have'half human brains' that make them smarter than other rodents, scientists have found. Researchers claim that giving mouse pups a type of immature human brain cell, known as glial cells, caused their brains to grow differently so they became more human-like. These human glial cells, which are the support cells of the brain providing it with structure and nutrients, multiplied and grew to replace a similar type of cell in the brains of the mice. Mice injected with human brain cells grow to have'half human brains' that make them smarter than other rodents, scientists have found. While the mice still had their own neurons - the cells that transmit and store information in the brain - the support cells were almost entirely human, according to the researchers.

Google's secretive artificial intelligence researchers have revealed a computer that they hope will one day be able to program itself. Developers at Google's secretive DeepMind start-up, which it bought for $400 million earlier this year, are attempting to mimic some of the properties of the human brain's short-term working memory. By combining the way ordinary computers work with the way the human brain works, the researchers hope the machine will learn to program itself. I'm sorry Dave, I can't Google that: HAL, the smart computer from Stanley Kubrick's 2001 moved a step closer today as developers at Google's secretive DeepMind start-up revealed they are attempting to mimic some of the properties of the human brain's short-term working memory. Its recent Hummingbird search update was created to make Google'more human' - searches can now understand context, like a human brain, for example.