A 'remote presence' robot which allows you to attend meetings, chat with colleagues and sneak up on people unawares from thousands of miles away has been labelled the 'most terrifying' idea on show at the SXSW festival in Texas.
The Beam advertises itself by claiming it allows people to be "in multiple places at once" and "feel more like part of a team in another location".
It's essentially a motorised robot with a screen, which connects to a video chat service to let you roam about your place of work while working at home.
It boasts two HD cameras, a human-sized frame and a reliable dual-band radio. Its website says:
"Beam's fast, powerful, electric motors let you turn in place, move smoothly and low and high speed, and at a top speed of 1.5 m/s, keep up with any walking person. Beam is also sturdy and powerful enough to act in its environment. If there's a chair in your way, simply push it."
Suitable Technologies unveiled the device back in September, and it was shown again at this year's SXSW festival in Austin.
But the reaction has been mixed, with some claiming that it looks like something from Charlie Brooker's 'Black Mirror' series of techno-nightmare TV shows.
What do you think? Watch the clip above and let us know if you'd use a Beam at home or work.