In pictures: Robot menagerie

Japan is at the forefront of robotics research. Engineers in the country have created hundreds of robots for everything from entertainment to mine clearance.

One of the pioneers of robotics in Japan is Professor Shigeo Hirose at the Tokyo Institute of Technology.

He has been working in robotics for 35 years. His lab is crammed with prototypes and designs for robots that can walk, crawl, swim and jump.