Science Museum's robotic delights hold a mirror to human society

Robots exhibition at the Science Museum, London, is a striking display of 500 years of automata – and raises pressing questions about the futureEric the robot wowed the crowds. He stood and bowed and answered questions as blue sparks shot from his metallic teeth. The British creation was such a hit he went on tour around the world. When he arrived in New York, in 1929, a theatre nightwatchman was so alarmed he pulled out a gun and shot at him. Related: Robots 'could replace 250,000 UK publ