Chinese researchers, who make the final sprint toward its market launch, believes that a 1.6-metre tall robot with twinkling eyes will be a boon to the bed-ridden, infirm, lonely, disabled and elderly people.

Li Ruifeng, a member of the project with the Harbin Institute of Technology in this capital of northeast China's Heilongjiang Province said, "We are working on testing the precision functions and ways to reduce the cost in preparations for an anticipated market launch of the robot in two to three years."

Li further said that the research group with the Harbin Institute of Technology in northeast China&aposs Heilongjiang Province has decided to lessen the cost of the robot with the intention that it can be sold for $4,000 to $7,000.

The robot has been made with different functions including fetching food, medicine, sounding alarms in case of water or gas leakage, send texts or video effigies through wireless communications and even sings a song or play chess in order to entertain its masters.

The robot, built up independently in China, is likely to hit the market by the next two to three years.

China started up the study of the robot in 2007 when it was named as a national key project.

It is supported by government funding as it has foreseen most populous nation is confronting difficulties of an aging society.