"The concepts of smart apartments -- one that is highly automated, perhaps with a humanoid robot element -- is however very do-able and saleable in about ten years, " said Whitby.

CNN: The rights and wrongs of robots

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

Aside from providing the world with great gadgets, entertainment devices and robots -- the Japanese have now answered the question that every robot enthusiast since Isaac Asimov has been trying to answer: how do we improve robot-humanoid interaction?

ENGADGET: Japanese prof thinks robots need emotional sensibilities