Ever since I was a wee child, I've been waiting for the rise of the robots. You know, that moment when they take over the world, crushing all of humanity beneath their metallic feet and ordering fleshpots around in tinny tones.
It's certainly been a long time coming, but the latest step on this path to droid domination arrived this morning when PC World, Britain's biggest megastore chain, said it will be opening a series of "Roboshops" - areas of the shop dedicated to robots. (The name sort of gives it away)
Of course, being a mainstream chain, it's really more about expensive robotic toys than cutting edge research and development - initially the shop will sell things like Spykee and a home entertainment system inside an R2D2 shell. But alongside things like Robosapiens, it does indicate how the idea of robotic helpers are finally entering our lives.
Keith Jones, the MD of PC World, says the company thinks this is where the future might lie. "We are convinced that robotics will play an increasingly important role in the field of consumer technology in the years ahead and the time is right for us to enter this developing market. The robot will soon become a mass-market phenomenon."
Mass market robots would certainly be the most futuristic thing on the high street - but we've all seen the movies, and we know where this story ends. As such I'd just like to say, right here, right now, that I for one welcome our robotic overlords.
