(NPR) – Imagine a robot that could do your laundry, make your bed, cook your dinner, or stock the dairy section at your local grocery store. Humans have long been able to teach robots how to do individual tasks, but instructing them on these more sophisticated jobs has been an elusive goal, despite billions of dollars invested into robotics.

Now, a team of scientists in Switzerland has made progress in the quest to invent helpful robots that can act on complex instruction from humans. The development raises questions about whether this kind of technology could someday learn not only to help humans, but to also become capable of harming them. (Read More)