Danger: robots with knives could attack humans accidentally

Homes of the future are often depicted as efficient spaces in which robots are programmed to carry out mundane domestic tasks, from cleaning to carrying out simple repairs or even preparing dinner.

But films like I, Robot, have imagined a world in which man-made machines programmed to serve humans turn against their creators - and a group of scientists has said this could happen. German researchers have warned that robots in the home could prove dangerous - particularly when armed with sharp objects.

To discover what would happen if a robot wielding a sharp tool - such as a knife or a screw driver - accidentally struck a person, researchers at the Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics, part of the national aerospace agency in Wessling, south-east Germany, programmed a mechanical arm holding a variety of instruments to strike a series of substances that mimicked human tissue.

The robot stabbed and punctured a lump of silicone, a pig's leg and even a brave human volunteer's arm - causing damage that could potentially be lethal, according to the scientists.

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