hell is an empty house haunted by a child's voice

So, in 2005, Hiroshi Ishiguro started work developing lifelike humanoid robots. He made one that looked exactly like him to take over teaching his classes and glaring at his students. Then he built a female version that could also glare angrily, grin slyly and toss viewers a thousand-watt smile.

Now he's developed a mutant horror from Silent Hill, a 'telepresence' robot designed to make old people die faster. (Seriously: you're old. You're asleep. You wake up and this thing:



is waiting beside you. Speaking in the voice of your children...Or even better, you see this:



inching its way, wormlike, across the covers of your hospital bed...I mean, really, that would qualify as assisted homicide, wouldn't it?)

It's called the Telenoid R1, and it'll set you back about $8,000 for a little...wriggling...talking...thing of your own, later this year. Watch the Intelligent Robotics and Communication Laboratories for updates.

Or just...y'know...keep an eye out. Because you never know where Baby BotWorm is gonna show up next...