Bending down to pick up the final package of his day's round, delivery driver Richard Fuller felt a sudden stabbing pain in his lower back. 'It was as if someone had stuck a knife into my kidney,' recalls Richard, now 57, who managed to drive home but was'in absolute agony'. Assuming he'd pulled a muscle, he took some paracetamol and went to bed, hoping rest might help. The next day, however, his back was so stiff and painful that he could barely get up. 'I live alone, so my parents came over to help me as I could only get around bent over and shuffling about,' says Richard, who lives in Canterbury, Kent.

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot enjoyed a drive on the virtual track at a digital museum during a visit to the Bhamashah Technohub and State Data Centre. The Chief Minister was visibly impressed with the VR (virtual reality) technology and tried his hands on virtual games including football and cricket. In the "Programme Bay" area, he was accorded a warm welcome by a "dancing robot". Gehlot also clicked selfies with the children and enjoyed "samosas" with them. In the technohub, he monitored the progress of start-ups working in the domain of artificial intelligence, robotic technology, 3D printer technology and XRVR technologies.

Tokyo's Olympics may become known as the "Robot Games." Organizers on Friday showed off robots that will be used at the new National Stadium to provide assistance for fans using wheelchairs. Tokyo Olympic official Masaaki Komiya pointed out that Japan is known for its robot technology, and the 2020 Summer Games are a good place to show off. "Robots should not overwhelm people," Komiya, the vice director general to the Tokyo Olympics, told a news conference. "Robots are something that have an amicable relationship with human beings and can work together. That's the kind of robots we envision."

Robot technology already has a robust stand in factory floor and is getting strengthened as the time passes. Growth in adoption of robots has also been observed because of lowering prices of both mobile and fixed-arm robots. Incorporating robots in the manufacturing line and other processes has boosted the efficiency and saved timed for manufacturers leading to higher productivity. All these factors coalesce to forecast of an aggressive embrace of robots in coming years. Robot technology has shown significant growth over the past few years making it more feasible and useful in factories.

A new report published by the TUC today has argued that the economic gains from digitisation, robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) will benefit working people. For example, by reversing policies to raise the state pension age. The report delves into the impact of the technological revolution on jobs and wages. Previous technological changes, like the Industrial Revolution, have not led to an overall loss of jobs, but have disrupted the types of job people do. Nevertheless, it is a concern for people.

Well they are, but not quite as remorselessly or as swiftly as the movies might have conditioned us to imagine. And when the robot age does arrive, the impact on New Zealand -- in jobs and economic disruption -- may not be as apocalyptic as some future scenarios imagine. At least that is the position of two leading robotics researchers, Armin Werner of Lincoln Agritech, and Bruce MacDonald, an Auckland University computer engineering specialist with over 30 years' skin in the robot game. Werner, whose background is in precision agriculture that will have its most advanced developments in robotics, believes the broad use of automation will create more jobs, at least at the skilled end of the labour market. His view is that the embrace of technology will lead to different forms of work, rather than making work more difficult.

To make it work, Hinnenkamp has some high-tech help. Two robotic milkers and three other robots that push food or manure do much of the grunt work in his 140-cow barn. He runs the farm with his mother Donna Jansen and his wife Kathryn Hinnenkamp. Two-thousand pigs on a nearby farm and 30 rental units help diversify their income.

Robotic exoskeletons could help people with cerebral palsy maintain the ability to walk -- and offer a replacement for costly and invasive orthopedic procedures. Cerebral palsy is the leading cause of childhood disability in the United States, affecting about 3.3 children per 1,000 births. The neurological disorder is a lifelong affliction that can have a devastating impact on an individual's mobility, even when managed well with current physical and occupational therapies. But a new robotic design could significantly improve mobility outcomes. A recent study in the journal Science Translational Medicine found that wearing a robotic exoskeleton – a leg brace powered by small motors – helped children achieve significant mobility improvement.

Some local councils – such as the London Borough of Enfield – are already embracing this shift. Last year, Enfield collaborated with IPsoft to develop Amelia, robot technology dedicated to frontline council services, such as taking resident queries or authenticating licenses. Through AI and cognitive computing, government departments can lessen the burden of administrative tasks while gaining faster access to sophisticated insights, empowering them to make better decisions for citizens. The volume of information available today continues to grow exponentially. By deploying technology to successfully navigate and manage these huge quantities of data, both structured and unstructured, local councils can speed up services, improve frontline services and reduce human error. British citizens can already anticipate the advantages.

They will do the housework, never answer back and could even be trusted with a credit card. Robots - once the stuff of science fiction - may soon become reality. That is the claim of a growing number of enthusiasts who believe the day of the android will soon be upon us, an idea that will be reinforced in the minds of the public with the release of next month's blockbuster - I, Robot - which stars Will Smith and a host of computer-enhanced mechanical humanoids. The film, set in 2035, is based on the classic Isaac Asimov book of the same name and is set in a world dependent upon domestic robots. But is the science of robotics being oversold?