An elderly man (L) communicates with his granddaughter (in background, on computer) via the new humanoid robot called "Telenoid R1" (C), shaped like a child and composed of minimal human features such as a head, a face and upper body, developed by Osaka University's professor Hiroshi Ishiguro in Osaka, western Japan on August 1. The tele-operated android Telenoid has nine "actuators" in the small body with enables it to be remote-controlled by sending voice and movement commands, captured with a camera. Photo: AFP