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Did you really think androids only exist in laboratories? You’d be wrong…

The idea of androids, or synthetic organisms that mimic us humans, has been around for ages. From C-3PO and R2-D2 in Star Wars, Ash in Alien (and Bishop in Aliens), the robot assassin T800 in Terminator, ED-209 in RoboCop, and don’t forget Mechagodzilla, everyone wondered if androids would become a reality.

30 years later, there’s a wealth of research and development into creating androids: Honda’s Asimo project is over 10 years old now, but not yet commercial (unless you want to pay a million dollars for an android that can carry your coffee and walk up stairs). However, you’d be surprised at some of the stuff you can actually buy right now. The technology isn’t quite at the level of Spielberg’s A.I. yet, but it’s definitely heading that way.

1. HRP-4C: android sex appeal

When it comes to real human-like behaviour you can’t really get better than the new HRP-4C humanoid robot fresh out of Japan. She sings, she dances, she’ll do anything you program her to (within reason- she’s got standards). It’s freaky how realistic the movements in her face are, right down to mimicking human breathing. Check her vocal talents out here,  and watch her (or should I say it?!) busting out some Britney-style moves here.

Who needs clothes with a body like that? But the dressing up possibilities are endless. She’ll be your private dancer, a dancer for money… Don’t get too excited though – she isn’t on the market yet, and when she is it’s estimated she’ll cost around $200k. After all, she ain’t no cheap date.

2. Femisapien: she’ll blow you kisses

If HRP-4C has got you all hot-under-the-collar, and you don’t know how you’ll ever be able to wait for her release: Do not fear. WowWee’s Femisapien is hot, sexy, and available right now.  She’s been around the block, though, since her release in 2008. And she’s also rather small, at a tiny 38 cm high.

She does have an impressive list of talents, though. She’ll blow you kisses, you can teach her to mimic certain movements (ahem), and she will even have a flirtatious “conversation” with you. It might be a bit of a turn off when you have to replace her batteries, though…. either way, a bargain at less than $100.

3. SuperDroid HD2 SWAT

Has your flatmate been acting oddly recently? Has your girlfriend been taking mysterious calls at all hours of the night? Does that crazy guy next door have it in for you? Answer: get yourself a military-standard surveillance droid.

This bad boy can cover all terrains and is literally built like a tank. You’ve got live 2-way video and audio capabilities, meaning you can record your flatmate as he experiments with cross-dressing or other taboo sex acts, and shout obscenities at your ex-girlfriend while she’s screwing some other guy in your bed. The remote control unit also looks very cool, proper James Bond 007-style (as it should be when it costs a cool $33.5k). And when you’ve achieved all your objectives, having discovered your neighbour’s extensive collection of antique Nazi air rifles, the HD2 can carry your shopping for you, with its 5 degrees-of -freedom robot arm capable of lifting 20 lbs. Sweet.

4. Spykee Spy Robot: surveillance on a budget

If you want to get in on some hot surveillance action but you’re on a budget, why not get yourself a Spykee? This is a self-assembly (made by Meccano, no less) spy robot that’s a cheap-as-chips bargain at $300. It’s controlled from your computer via WiFi, includes a webcam, and can even play MP3s! Not as impressive as the SuperDroid HD2, but this one won’t cost you a year’s salary.

The fact that this droid is controlled via WiFi means it’s easy as anything to control it from your Android smartphone (check out a vid here). This has pretty amazing implications, such as using your phone to control the Spykee to check up on your home whilst you’re away on holiday.

5. Touch of my hand: robotic arms

Have you seen Howard Wolowitz get it on with a robotic arm in The Big Bang Theory? Well, it isn’t science fiction: there’s a mecca of robotic arms available for purchase. And you won’t end up in the hospital using them. The development of robotic arms has been going on for decades, of course, to help those who have lost limbs through accidents or war.

Some of the robotic hands now being made are really advanced, such as the range made by the Shadow Robot Company, with full sets of joints exactly mimicking the human hand. You can even buy build-your-own robot arm kits such as those offered by Think Geek. It’s predicted that most homes will have robotic arms in the future, be it to open cans, wash up dishes, or do any number of imaginative tasks.

6. HAL

HAL (or Hybrid Assistive Limb) is a robotic suite of artificial limbs that attach to the human body, made by Cyberdyne in Japan (as always), a company that sounds right out of the Terminator films. It works by attaching artificial limbs onto your existing ones, and is controlled by sensors attached to your own limbs. As soon as you think, “I wanna walk”, a signal is sent from your brain to the muscles in your legs that create the movement. Initial responses of the nerves in your back, legs, etc., are read by the HAL system, which then recreates those movements for you. Check out HAL in action here.

The applications of HAL are purely medical at the moment, and units are rented for around $1500 per month. However, it’s clear to envisage how this technology could easily develop to Iron Man proportions in the near future: just attach some machine guns and you’re good to go.

7. Murato Boy (& Girl)

The first (and only) cycling robots. It’s shocking that no-one had thought about doing this earlier, really. After all, it’s got so many applications to real life, the possibilities are mind-boggling.  TIME magazine named Murato Boy the best invention of 2006, and it still isn’t commercial yet, although it is estimated it will cost around $180k+ when it is available to buy.

Murato Girl is even more crazy because she rides a unicycle (genius, if you ask me). Check out Murato Boy in action here and Murato Girl here. The technology is quite impressive, to be fair, and these droids can cycle on complex balance beams (see the vids), detecting the path of the beam and adjusting their balance accordingly. Again, it’s all controlled over WiFi from your PC. It’s quite astonishing that they never fall off their bikes: I’d be off that balance beam (and just the unicycle on its own) quicker than you could say, “What the fuck?!”.

8. Toyota’s Violin-playing Robot

Toyota had the bright idea of creating a robot that, along with the usual domestic and caretaking tasks, could also play the violin. And we’re not just talking about the level of a 10-year-old playing Three Blind Mice, the level of violin playing is actually quite advanced: Toyota is showing off. Check out this video of the droid in action: there are 17 joints in the hands and arms, and it’s astonishing how well it plays. The violin is a complex instrument, in that the droid has to sense how much pressure to apply to the strings to create vibrato, and the finger movements have to be very delicate and fast.

So on top of it washing your dishes, taking out the garbage, scratching your back, etc., it can serenade you and your loved one with Vivaldi over a candle-lit dinner (I don’t think it’d be able to cook you said dinner, though). Unfortunately it’s not set to be on the market any time soon: just put it on your Amazon wish list for now, and have half a mill ready in your bank account.

9. Pleo: one for the kids

Remember those weird, awful Furby creatures that caused a storm in the late 1990s (actually selling more than 40 million units worldwide)? Well, robotic toys have moved on from then. Pleo is an intelligent dinosaur that includes infrared sensors to detect obstacles, a large range-of-motion in all its joints, and even includes skin sensors to detect touch. It sleeps, roars and responds like a cat when you stroke it, and is the start of a new age of interactive pets. You can pick one up for around $250, and you won’t need to take it to the vet each year to get it vaccinated. Check out a vid of Pleo in action here. The new 2010 version even has Pleo hatching from an egg (go figure).