Global competition for nurses and carers is heating up, especially after Covid-19 and some countries are experiencing a staffing crisis in care homes which some think humanoid robots could one day ease.

Using its blinkers, siren and speakers, the robot can 'enforce a cordon or warn bystanders during an incident prior to the arrival' of human police.

Detectives in the California city, where residents complain of a spike in crime, were granted permission this week to deploy machines capable of lethal force.

They say the opposite is in fact more likely to occur as greater use of machines opens up new job opportunities for people.

These weapons are essentially 'killer robots', formerly the stuff of science fiction.

Robotic arms, built to collect samples quickly while lowering the risk of cross-infection between people, are used as part of a campaign to suppress a rise in cases.