This door-opening robot is the scariest thing we've ever seen

Welcome to the future. Only this isn’t the future, but a terrifying present where robots can OPEN DOORS. Bet it can do stairs too. Dr Who – you, my friend, have had it.

The work of US engineering firm Boston Dynamics, ‘SpotMini’ is a “small four-legged robot that comfortably fits in an office or home”. It weighs around 30kg and can terrify for a good 90 minutes between recharges. And it can open doors. Big, heavy-looking doors. Watch up top as one robot pulls and props open a door for its armless brother, before the pair scamper through it with glee. As though what they’ve just done isn’t the least bit remarkable.

You might remember Boston Dynamics from ‘Handle’, the six-and-a-half-foot wheeled contraption that can carry boxes and jump over four-foot obstacles. That thing has 10 actuated joints to Spot’s 17. Blimey.

Scary, awesome or a bit of both?