A £200 robot called Spyke is tipped to be the must have present - for adults - this Christmas.

The foot high robot helps around the house, from checking whether the children are doing their homework to seeing if you have left the oven on. It can play music, make telephone calls over the internet and has a camera for a head and, when it is running out of power, it automatically returns to its "dock" to recharge its batteries.

Spyke is controlled via a wireless network so people with wireless broadband can access Spyke while at work and see what's going on at home. The robot is manufactured by Meccano which is now owned by a Japanese manufacturer.

Bill Gates has likened the present state of robotic technology to the fledgling computer industry when he launched Microsoft in the mid-1970s. PC World is to launch a "shop-within-a-shop" this year dedicated to selling domestic robots.

200 notes? A bargain! It'll be worth that just for chasing the cat around the house. I'm saving up now!

What do you think?

Despite some nervousness Spyke decided to take them on.

The original was here.