We all know the age of the robot is coming, what with Asimo, Aibo, QRIO and the rest. The thing about them all, though, is they’re just a bit intimidating. Watching Asimo skip, run and swivel is rather like watching a Terminator kitten romping about just before it turns on you with eyes blazing.

Much more our speed is this little Panda Robot Talking Lamp Clock, which combines all the aww-cute of a cuddly bear, with the part intelligence of a true android overlord of the future. OK, so we’re exaggerating a tad, but it still comes with some impressive features.

Not only does it glow alluringly in low light mode and shine spectacularly in full bright mode, but it can have a chat with you using its 10 sentence vocabulary. It has a name, and when you ask it to turn on the light, it turns on, and vice versa. It can also tell the time, which is more than your bedside table can do. Plus it has a voice controlled dimmer which you set by saying ‘turn lighter/darker’. Not Darko, darker.

So there you have it, the cuddly face of Cyberdyne Systems. Coming to a home near you soon, for just $14.99 or similar.