Remarkable robot images provide a vision of the future

Rollin' Justin can avoid obstacles and serve drinks, among other tasks We have long been fascinated with our own image. In the 1920s play, Czech writer Karel Čapek coined the term robot to describe human-looking creatures forced to work in factories. Since then, we have built many humanoid robots that can move and interact with the world in anthropomorphic ways. Award-winning photographer Henrik Spohler at photo agency laif explores such endeavours in his project Tomorrow Is the Question . The main image, above, shows a metallic creation by the German Aerospace Center's Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics in Oberpfaffenhofen.