How do you like your pancakes? Robot cooks breakfast at exhibit

Fancy breakfast in bed? Robots could soon be taking over kitchens up and down the country if the impressive Motoman is anything to go by.

The industrial robot expertly flipped and cooked a Japanese pancake on a hotplate during a demonstration at an exhibition in Osaka.

Built by engineers from the Japanese giant Yaskawa Electric, the SDA10 has 'human-like' flexibility of movement. Both its arms can work together or independently and the robot can operate in confined spaces.

The Motoman robot can also be used for more traditional tasks such as assembling and packaging items as heavy as 20kg as well as complex handling that could once only be done by people.

Some 60 robotic companies and laboratories showcased their latest robot technology at the three-day exhibition in Japan.

Acting robots made their stage debut at the show. Experts at Osaka University programmed humanoid robots made by Mitsubishi to deliver their lines and move around the stage alongside human actors.

The Wakamaru robots use lasers and cameras to track objects and people and can remember up to 10,000 words.

The 20 minute performance told the story of a housekeeping robot who becomes bored and bitter about its role as a cleaner. So perhaps breakfast served by robots isn't such a good idea after all.