The propensity for Japanese companies to take bewilderingly giant leaps in technological advancement has always struck Sneak with a certain amount of awe. On the other hand though, the propensity for Japanese firms to spend billions of yen developing mind-bogglingly inane gadgets is rather less awe-inspiring. Toyota's latest press release probably falls somewhere between the two; they've just announced two new robots – a "mobility robot" and "violin-playing robot".

The couple are the latest additions to the motoring giant's Toyota Partner Robots initiative which has seen various metallic creatures "developed to support people's everyday life", according to the press blurb. The bots will help humans in four key areas, says Toyota: domestic duties, nursing and healthcare, manufacturing, and short-distance personal transport. But having already watched far too many sci-fi movies than is really healthy for one so young, Sneak is worried about the future. A future when these automatons become indispensable to the human race ... and then one day, they rise, they rise up and strike down their human oppressors! Arrrrgh...

07 Dec 2007