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Humanoid robots will take over the world and will look so like us we won't even be able to tell they are among us, a professor has warned.

Robotics expert Noel Sharkey says androids will soon be completely integrated in society working as shop assistants, bar staff and careworkers.

He says they will slowly creep into our lives during the next few decades until we don't even notice they are among us.

The academic, who is emeritus professor of AI and robotics at the University of Sheffield , said: “The robotics community has certainly been considering the idea that robots will be walking among us, and it’s just a matter of when really.

"We are likely to see robots integrated into society in the near future as shop assistants, receptionists, doctors, bar tenders and also as carers for our elderly and children.

(Image: Rex Features) (Image: PA) (Image: PA)

“It’ll all happen very gradually over the next 20 to 30 years until we don’t even notice they’re among us.

"I don’t think there’s anything to be concerned about but if they come to look too human-like, they could be used to deceive us in many ways.”

His comments come as new research reveals more than half of Brits (58%) are worried about the impact robots will have on society in future, with two fifths (41%) believing they will destroy humanity as we know it.

The concerns echo those made by Stephen Hawking and Elon Musk who previously described artificial intelligence (AI) technology as our “biggest existential threat”.

(Image: Rex Features) (Image: Rex Features) (Image: Rex Features)

The worries about the dangers of robot malfunctions (45%) and even fears that we will end up with a kind of dystopian future envisaged in films like Terminator, with a third (35%) believing robots will evolve beyond our understanding and take control of society.

Men were nearly twice as likely to relish the prospect of living among androids, with a fifth (19%) claiming they were excited by the idea, while just a tenth of women (11%) took that view. Top concerns for both genders included robots interacting with their children (68%), losing out on jobs to uber-efficient humanoids (49%) and sharing our homes with artificially intelligent housemates (46%).

A third of Brits (35%) believe theme parks that feature artificially intelligent, human-like robots will be a reality within the next 25 years, similar to the setting of the new JJ Abrams drama – and half (48%) would consider visiting a theme park of this nature.

(Image: Rex Features) (Image: Rex Features)

(Image: Rex Features)

With over one in three Brits (39%) expecting human-like robots to be part of everyday life within 25 years, an army of Westworld ‘humanoids’ descended on London sights today to highlight what this reality might be like.

Leading body artist Emma Fay led a team of ten to create the unique humanoid look, with each model taking six hours to create – a total of 120 hours, or the equivalent of five whole days.

(Image: Rex Features)

(Image: Rex Features)

Zai Bennett, director of Sky Atlantic, says: “AI and robotics are fast becoming part of everyday life, but our research demonstrates just how much we don’t know about this technology or where it could be heading.

“Sky Atlantic’s Westworld explores what life might be like if this became a reality. It looks at the future of AI – and the choices we make when we’re given free rein to live our lives without any consequences."

The research – commissioned to launch new flagship drama, Westworld, which premieres on Tuesday 4 October at 9pm on Sky Atlantic and NOW TV – found that one in seven of us (14%) think we will encounter human-like robots on a day-to-day basis within 10 years, and highlights real concerns that Brits have over developments in AI.