It then digests the flies, before their exoskeletons are turned into electricity, which enables the robot to function.

CNN: Fly-eating robot powers itself

Melhuish, who is director of the Intelligent Autonomous Systems Lab at the UWE, told CNN that the EcoBot II was a result of a quest for an intelligent robot that could function without human supervision.

CNN: Fly-eating robot powers itself

Projects like Arbreole, intelligent lights that react to your movements powered by an Android phone, OpenVibe, a brain to computer interface allowing you to control a video game, Evolving Cities, an open digital platform designed to help create resilient neighborhoods, and SAMI, an innovative multi-function, mobile semi-humanoid robot created by the CRIIF, all received funding from Cap Digital but were also chosen for their potential to be commercialized.

FORBES: France Showcases Digital Future At Futur-en-Seine

The robot sentry, the Samson Remote Weapon Station, could function without human intervention, says David Ishai of Rafael, its Israeli manufacturer, based in Haifa.

ECONOMIST: Robots go to war