Humanoid robots and advances in information technology are increasingly being used by nursing homes in a bid to give elderly people a better quality of life. In one example, a nursing home in Natori, Miyagi Prefecture, has enlisted the help of the Telenoid robot via which people can communicate remotely with an elderly person using a microphone and camera. "Grandma, what color flowers do you like?" the Telenoid robot asked a resident in her 80s at the Urayasu elderly nursing home last month. "Pink cherry blossoms," the woman responded with a smile. Telenoid, which weighs 2.7 kg and is 50 cm tall, was developed by Osaka University professor Hiroshi Ishiguro and his associates.

Another week, and another bunch of "the robots are coming for our jobs" stories permeate the media sphere. While many of these reports are little more than future-gazing predictions, there are some real and tangible instances where it appears robots are currently out to steal humans' jobs. Robotics startup Marble debuted its road-faring machine this week in partnership with Yelp, with some customers in San Francisco now receiving their food orders via a little white, four-wheeled trolley. Above: Marble's robot can deliver your food, in partnership with Yelp's Eat24. The fairly nondescript vehicle is capable of navigating busy thoroughfares using in-built sensors and cameras, while simultaneously mapping the sidewalk to optimize its route.

London (CNN)My first encounter at "Robots," a new exhibition at the Science Museum in London, was with an animatronic baby. It is unquestionably life-like and perfectly baby-sized, safety-pinned into a crisp white nappy and hanging upright on a wall. Every detail -- the latex skin, the mat of baby black hair -- seemed as realistic as a Ron Mueck sculpture. The left arm rose slowly, the mouth half-open, the eyelids flickering into a squint. I studied it intensely, half expecting a response -- a cry, a gurgle -- but without any desire to rescue the baby from the wall and cradle it. Side on, it was unmistakably a machine.

Japanese demon-spawn Telenoid, the nightmarish fetus-like telepresence robot, has had a little half-baked runt of its own. As we reported at a January preview, Elfoid is a humanoid-shaped cell phone that tries to look cute. Osaka University roboticist Hiroshi Ishiguro, never a stranger to controversy with his lifelike robot clones, outdid himself again with his Eraserhead-like baby. A few details of the android (not Android) phone were released at a press conference today in Tokyo. Elfoid is covered with creamy polyurethane foam and is about 8 inches long.

With child-like eyes staring out from an expressionless face, the Telenoid R1 does look a little creepy. But if Professor Hiroshi Ishiguro of Japan's Osaka University has his way, a miniature Telenoid that lets you "feel" the presence of the party on the other line could soon replace the cell phones of today. It turns out the future could be just around the corner as the roboticist said a prototype of the mobile "Elfoid" would be ready in a few months. Speaking today at the sneak preview of the Singapore-based Asia on the Edge festival--an annual showcase of ideas and cultures from Asia--Ishiguro is most regarded for his development of lifelike androids. He has even created a mechanical doppelganger of himself called Geminoid in his bid to understand humans.