Robots were once a thing of the future - but they're finally becoming an everyday reality. Researchers expect to see a $6.5 billion market for home robotics by 2017. Jibo is a desktop robot that can do everything from take your picture to reply to your text messages.

Around 5.1 million Brits aged over 65 have never been online. Catering to these untapped customers, Barclays has created over 3,500 'Digital Eagles' - specially-trained staff to help them get online and up to speed. But do people want a bank teaching them about the internet?

While the immediate future is unlikely to yield AI pseudo-human carers, the notion of robots aiding the elderly is closer than ever. All over the world – especially in Japan, where more than a quarter of the population is over 65 – technology and healthcare are starting to overlap.

Life 2.0 is an EU-funded project, involving 13 core partners in five EU countries, which has developed a series of networked applications to help empower elderly residents to live more independent lives.