livescience.com - Many people may scoff at stories of a Chinese farmer building robots that he considers more precious than his children, or a Canadian inventor creating a life-size female android companion. Then they go back to peering at their cell phones or PDAs with vision-enhancing contact lenses, iPod buds in their ears, as they query Google's search 'bot for their next destination.

The fact is modern humans increasingly rely on sophisticated, wearable technology which has enhanced or sometimes replaced our senses, organs and limbs — making us appear more like artificial constructs. At the same time, robots have begun learning to think, experience sensations and perhaps even understand emotions.

Today's kids might not recognize their grandchildren as fully human, unless the definition of human changes as well.

If you're still not convinced of an impending change, here are just a few of the existing robots getting touchy and feely:

* An automated vacuum that detects emotions

* Fembots strutting their stuff on fashion show runways

* Mechanical warriors fighting alongside humans on the battlefield

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