Machines in the mirror

Technology is catching up with Hollywood, producing robots that may soon be able to look, think and act like humans. Experts tell Agence France-Presse that this breakthrough is a mixed blessing.

A future in which it is difficult to tell man and machine apart could soon become reality, scientists say, after recent robotic breakthroughs in Japan.

Wise-cracking android sidekicks, a once-fantastical idea, are taking form in laboratories. As the gap between humans and robots narrows - society faces ethical and legal complications as yet undreamed of, they warn.