Honda's latest version of the Asimo humanoid robot runs during a presentation in Zaventem near Brussels on July 16. Francois Lenoir / Reuters

'Take your clothes off, be like me!' says joking robot

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One day, predict future-gazers, robots will perform all kinds of household chores, monitor the sick, and even serve up cappuccinos.

But will they look like us?

"If we have enough knowledge about humans, we can create more human-like robots," he says after unveiling last month what he claimed was the world's first news-reading android in Tokyo. "That knowledge usually comes from neuroscience or cognitive science.

"More important is robots and androids as a mirror to reflect humanity. Once we become friends, the boundary between human and robot disappears," adds Ishiguro, a professor at Osaka University.

The blurring of that line has long been a source of worry for humanity, as often depicted in popular culture.

The 1982 Hollywood cult film Blade Runner, which is set in 2019, features genetically engineered robots called "replicants", which are visually indistinguishable from humans, but physically superior and able to withstand pain.

The film's protagonist, played by Harrison Ford, is given the task of tracking down and killing replicants that have escaped and are living among us. His problem is knowing the difference.