Read Richard’s current thoughts about transhumanism and related fringe topics here.
Most robots at work today look nothing like humans (although much work is going into a new generation of bipedal robots.) For example, Rotundus AB in Sweden has developed spherical robots that move around by rolling using the physics of mass and rotation. While the technology developed by Rotundus focuses on the mobility of the robots, the design allows for a payload of cameras or other sensors for surveillance purposes. The media page on the Rotundus site includes images and movies of the robots in action.