RANKED: The 13 Sexiest - And Totally Real - Robots Ever Made

Taepodong2/YouTubeBelieve it or not, this is a robot.

The idea of a human-like robot has been ingrained in pop culture since before computers as we know them were even a remote possibility.

Thanks to the incredible leaps forward in computing speed and artificial intelligence over the last few decades, humanoid robots are just now approaching the functionality that science-fiction fans have been reading and watching for decades.

Unfortunately, the "Uncanny Valley" effect - the discomfort that "almost right" robots cause in people - means that we're not yet at the point where robots can successfully pass for people.

Still, researchers and private inventors have made great progress overcoming the "creepy" factor. Some of the robots are even, dare we say, borderline sexy.