"To get a useful computer it needs to be probably a million times more complex, so a full-scale useful factoring machine is still at least two decades away, " he said.

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Asimo, by contrast, is an ornate, expensive and complicated piece of machinery that really only seems useful if you need a machine that can climb a stair for you.

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Apart from what has occurred in the industry itself, the complete transformation of the global machine tool industry is a useful barometer for the entire manufacturing sector.

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Sony even admits that the Double Density CD-ROM is a product of the moment that will become about as useful a piece of computer hardware as grandma's sewing machine as soon as read-write capable DVDs are widely available.

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He added that the robot's ability to follow a person made it "an interesting navigation machine which might end up useful in other domain, such as search and rescue".

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But Lampetra's unique propulsion system could also have useful applications, as it has proved an efficient way to move a machine through water.

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Probably the most useful feature is the ability for a passenger to swipe their credit card on the machine to pay for the fare: that's right, no more fumbling in your pocket for change.

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Computers have become remarkably useful but are still a far cry from the dream of early computer pioneers of a machine so smart it would be indistinguishable from a human.

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