As the world grapples with the onset of drones and trembles at the increasing likelihood of sentient machines, a 300-pound machine is being deployed in places like corporate campuses and shopping malls. Like something out of a science fiction movie, the K5 is part of a broader effort to predict and prevent illegal activities. While they are not quite artificially intelligent, these autonomous robots can see, feel, hear and smell, the man behind the bot told CNBC in an interview this week. "Think of it as a smart eyes and ears to help private security guards and law enforcement officers do their jobs that much more effectively," Knightscope Chairman and CEO William Santana Li said in an interview with "Power Lunch." In fact, Li predicts the robots, which bear more than a passing resemblance to the metallic hero R2D2 from "Star Wars," will have a real impact on the law enforcement community and the economy.

I recently consulted with the US Navy on all things "transhuman." In those conversations about how science and technology can help the human race evolve beyond its natural limits, it was clear that military is keen on replacing human soldiers with both fighting and peacekeeping machines so American military lives never have to come under fire or be in harm's way. However, it's the peacekeeping technology that is particularly interesting for many civilians. While you wouldn't want an armed Terminator in your home, you might like a robot that travels with you and offers personal protection, like a bodyguard. In a survey by Travelzoo of 6,000 participants, nearly 80 percent of people said they expect robots to be a significant part of their lives by 2020 -- and that those robots might even join them on holidays.

Robots may not yet have the authority to influence their human masters, according to new research. The study stationed a cyborg guard beside a table of food marked with a'reserved' sign in a student common room. Researchers from New York-based Cornell University used a mObi robot manufactured by Bossa Nova in a simple test. While the robot is not designed to look particularly menacing or authoritative, it has cameras that enable it to'see' what people around it are doing. The behaviour of hundreds of students was captured by a hidden GoPro action camera, reports New Scientist. The results showed that a disappointing seven per cent snaffled reserved food from the table, despite the robot guard's presence.

Robots may not yet have the authority to influence their human masters, according to new research. The study stationed a cyborg guard beside a table of food marked with a'reserved' sign in a student common room. Researchers from New York-based Cornell University used a mObi robot manufactured by Bossa Nova in a simple test. While the robot is not designed to look particularly menacing or authoritative, it has cameras that enable it to'see' what people around it are doing. The behaviour of hundreds of students was captured by a hidden GoPro action camera, reports New Scientist.

Would you do what a robot told you to do? If people stealing food right under the eyes of a bot is anything to go by, RoboCop is still a long way off. In a twist on a common psychology experiment, in which a picture of a pair of eyes seems to make people behave more honestly, Guy Hoffman at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, and his colleagues stationed a robot guard to watch over a table of snack food labelled with a "reserved" sign in a student common room. The team used a mObi robot made by US robotics company Bossa Nova. This does not have a threatening appearance, like some security bots -- such as the Knightscope (pictured) -- but it has eyes that looked around the room.