Sci-fi fans will know the Terminator was only a ruthless killing machine because of its effortless ability to heal itself after damage. Now, engineers at Cornell University in New York may be well on their way to recreating this remarkable self-healing ability. The experts have created a robot capable of detecting when and where it has been damaged and then restoring itself on the spot. The small soft robot, which resembles a four-legged starfish, uses light to detect changes on its surface that are created by cuts. For self-healing to work, the robot must be able to identify that there is something that needs to be fixed.

Artificial intelligence should respect human rights, diversity and privacy -- while being a far cry from Terminator-style robots -- according to new federal ethics guidelines. Technology Minister Karen Andrews will today release an eight-point guidance she wants companies to adopt in a bid to prevent people from being exploited. The guidelines stipulate all AI should benefit individuals, society and the environment. It should prevent discrimination, respect privacy and only operate in accordance with their intended purpose. The guidelines also recommend human oversight of AI always be enabled and there should be timely processes to allow people to challenge the use or output of information.

A sex doll company are making a Terminator-style robot head who can speak, smile and even sing - but only in Chinese. Manufacturers have finished the prototype of the DS Doll Robotic Head, which contains a movable mechanical structure coated in silicone'skin' and controlled by a smartphone - and a PlayStation controller. The model, made by Japanese company Doll Sweet Dolls and Chinese company EX Doll, has a'stunningly beautiful' face, and can listen and answer questions using voice recognition software. Manufacturers have finished the prototype of the DS Doll Robotic Head (pictured), which contains a movable mechanical structure coated in silicone'skin' Manufacturers have finished the prototype of the DS Doll Robotic Head, which contains a movable mechanical structure coated in silicone'skin' and controlled by a smartphone - and a PlayStation controller. She can speak, smile and even sing - but only in Chinese.

Nanoengineers printed a self-healing circuit on the sleeve of a T-shirt and connected it with an LED light and a coin battery. The researchers then cut the circuit and the fabric it was printed on. At that point, the LED turned off. The secret behind the ink is its tiny microparticles oriented in a certain pattern by a strong magnetic field. Because of the way they are arranged, particles on both sides of a tear are magnetically attracted to one another, meaning a device printed with the ink can heal itself.

The self-assembling shape shifting killer robots from the Terminator films could be a step closer, thanks to the development of self-propelling liquid metals. A team of Australian researchers is laying the groundwork for T-1000s by creating the basis of soft electric circuits. Unlike modern circuitry found in electronic devices, which remain based on circuits with solid state components, future connections could be much more flexible and able to move and reconfigure as necessary. A team at RMIT University in Melbourne used non-toxic alloys of the metal gallium, which is liquid at close to room temperature. By adding droplets of the alloy galinstan to water and changing the pH, they were able to make the drops move about freely.

Humanity is in a precarious state and never more than a hair's breadth from being wiped out, if the hordes of Doomsday fanatics are to be believed. But while many scenarios may seem in the realm of fantasy, a new report suggests there are a number of global catastrophic risks which we could do with preparing for much better. According to the report, top of the list for 2016 are climate change-related catastrophes, natural pandemics - such as bird flu - and nuclear war. Countdown to extinction: A new report detailing the global catastrophic risks facing humanity lists nuclear war (stock image) and climate change among the top threats that could wipe out up one tenth of the world's population. Other risks which make the list for 2016 include man-made virus, failure of geo-engineering - such as adding iron to oceans to absorb atmospheric carbon - as well as the threat of catastrophic disruption from artificial intelligence. The report suggests that a person may be five times as likely to be wiped out in an extinction event as a car crash.