Home-care robots that can turn on video recorders and take digital photographs of pets while their owners are away will hit Japanese stores this Friday, for the special introductory price of 19,800 Yen. They are white-and-blue 16-centimetre robots, code-named FII-RII and controlled via mobile phones. Users can use their mobiles to order the robot, which comes connected to a personal computer, to turn gadgets on and off using an infra-red sensor. FII-RII is also fitted with a digital camera on its face to send pictures of rooms or pets to absent owners.