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Robots will become Britain’s “fourth emergency service” within 50 years and be relied on during extreme weather , according to one of the country’s leading technology experts.

It is predicted that by 2068 hundreds of autonomous human-like droids will be on round-the-clock standby to help in hazardous situations too dangerous for humans.

With the strength of 500 men, limitless endurance and the ability to work in sub-zero temperatures, they will carry out search and rescue missions and perform other practical tasks that people and existing machines cannot do.

In the event of another Storm Emma and ‘Beast from the East’, the cyborgs would be on hand to pull stricken cars out of snow drifts, overturn fallen lorries and plough entire stretches of motorway in a fraction of the time of current rescue vehicles .

(Image: PA)

They would even carry out roadside first-aid, transport the injured to hospital and offer “words of human-like comfort” to those in distress, according to Mat Shore, an author and global authority on innovation, artificial intelligence (AI) and futuristic tech.

The robots will “assist and complement” the police and fire and ambulance services, and support the Armed Forces in a non-military capacity in times of national emergency or disaster zone, he said.

Scientists have already created lifelike machines that can lift up to 1,000 times their own weight thanks to breakthroughs in robotics, AI and the development of synthetic muscles.

But within half-a-century, the need for ‘smart’ droids to help in times of catastrophe will drive innovation and lead to the creation of cyborgs - beings with both organic and biomechatronic body parts, Shore said.

(Image: PA)

These Terminator-like machines will save thousands of lives each year while protecting their human counterparts from the most serious, life-threatening environments, he added.

Speaking at the UK launch of this latest book, The Seven Heavenly Habits of Innovation, Mr Shore said: “In times of crisis, the need to innovate - and to think innovatively - becomes more important than ever.

“The Beast from the East has clearly highlighted a variety of shortcomings in existing technology, most of which is outdated and unable to cope with the extreme temperatures and conditions.

“Innovators will now be looking at ways to aid the public and to help the rescue services, and there is no doubt that the development of robotics generally – and in cyborgs in particular – will be at the forefront of their minds.”

His comments come as blizzards, gale force winds and heavy snowfall from Storm Emma and the weather system nicknamed the ‘Beast from the East’ continue to cause death and disruption across the UK.

(Image: Getty Images Europe)

The Armed Forces were drafted in on March 1 to help relief efforts as the country remains under a red extreme weather warning.

Emergency services are still struggling to clear heavy snow fall and to rescue drivers trapped in their vehicles and on buses and trains nationwide.

Mr Shore, who has worked on innovation projects with companies including Samsung, GE, Philips and Electrolux, said robots would have played a vital role in getting life-saving aid to those in need – an opportunity he believes has not missed by the technology sector.

From nuclear disasters, to natural catastrophes and blazing hot fires, robots that can stand-in for humans in dangerous places or help to save life will become an urgent priority, he says.

They will have flame-retardant, human-like skin over an unbreakable, fully-submersible robotic body capable of lifting incredible weights and performing super-human tasks with ease.

And unlike existing machines, robots of the future will convert kinetic movement into electricity, thereby giving them unlimited range and endurance without loss of power.