Machines Like Us

Artificial intelligence researcher David Levy believes changing attitudes and advances in robot technology mean it's only a matter of time before humans head down the aisle with humanoid robots.

In a PhD thesis for a Dutch university, the Londoner argues that we're already getting there -- showing soppy affection for virtual pet toys.

And by the time your children are bouncing their grandchildren on their knees, he claims robots will be capable of writing moving poetry and complex symphonies to presiding over court cases.

They will also be so similar to humans in personality and emotions, he predicts, that many of us will fall in love with them.

It all sounds like a far-fetched episode of Star Trek, yet advances in robot technology being worked on here in Edinburgh is already creating the robots of the future.

Read full story in Scotsman