A visitor looks at a robotic hand at the ongoing 2017 World Robot Conference in Beijing, Aug 23, 2017. [Photo/IC]

BEIJING - Imagine it. You wake up in the morning and your robot housekeeper makes your bed, cooks breakfast and cleans the floors. Minutes later a driverless car whisks the kids off to school, while a robot nurse cares for you elderly parents. You arrive at the office only to find robots have done half of your work.

Such thoughts were once the stuff of science fiction, but robots are increasingly taking part in the real world.