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An army of robots has invaded London's Science Museum on a mission to teach humans their 500-year-old history.

Opening on Wednesday, the new exhibition explores humanity's centuries old quest to re-imagine people as moving, talking and thinking machines.

More than 100 robots are on display, ranging from a 16th century automaton monk to characters from science fiction films and research lab creations.

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London's Science Museum is hosting an exhibition to teach visitors about the rise of the robots over the last 500 years. Pictured is a Telenoid communication android from Japan on display. Created in 2010, the Telenoid R1 is an audio and movement transmitter that allows people to relay messages over long distances

'Robots' explores the role played by humanised machines in religion, the industrial revolution, science and popular culture.

The first robot visitors to the exhibition will meet is a disconcertingly realistic human baby used in film making that can sneeze, breathe and move its arms and legs.

Others include the receptionist robot Inkha who answers questions and offers fashion advice, Zeno R25 who can copy your facial expressions, and Rosa who turns her head to watch people passing by.

The uncannily life-like Kodomoroid, from Japan, reads robot-related news bulletins, while RoboThespian does vocal exercises and puts on a theatrical performance.

Lead curator Ben Russell said: 'Coming face to face with a mechanical human has always been a disconcerting experience.

'Over the centuries, each generation has experienced this afresh as new waves of technology heralded its own curiosity-inducing robots. 

'That sense of unease, of something you cannot quite put your finger on, goes to the heart of our long relationship with robots.'

The first robot visitors to the exhibition will meet is a disconcertingly realistic human baby used in film making that can sneeze, breathe and move its arms and legs

'Robots' explores the role played by humanised machines in religion, the industrial revolution, science and popular culture. Pictured left is Kodomoroid, a Japanese android that reads robot-related news bulletins, and pictured right is a 16th century automaton monk attributed to Gianello Torriano

The history of robots can be traced to early experiments with clockwork, such as a French astrolabe dating from around 1300 that is also on display the museum.

Such devices prompted ideas about the human body being a kind of machine, leading to the first robots. One of these was the automaton monk, built in around 1560 as an expression of religious faith.

Inventor Richard Greenhill's Shadow Biped, a 1980s attempt to build the world's first humanoid robot using wooden bones and air-powered muscles, is also featured.

Baxter, a robot from the US, is seen in action. The robot was originally built to perform monotonous tasks in a factory, including line loading, packing and handling materials. It's used in warehouses in the US, for example, to perform repetitive actions and free human workers up for more skilled and creative tasks

RoboThespian, which does vocal exercises and puts on a theatrical performance is pictured left, while Asimo, a humanoid robot designed and developed by Honda, is pictured right

Inventor Richard Greenhill's Shadow Biped, a 1980s attempt to build the world's first humanoid robot using wooden bones and air-powered muscles, is also featured

Mr Greenhill, 73, from London, said: 'I came up with the concept of the air muscle which powered the biped.

'To make my invention work, I went to a local department store's bridal section, where they sold gloves for bridesmaids featuring some netting that was perfect to go around my fledgling muscles. I bought dozens of pairs.'

He went on to construct the shadow hand in the 1990s - at the time the world's most humanlike hand - which is also on show.

Several characters from science fiction films also feature, including this replica of the robot 'Maria' from the film 'Metropolis'

This Silver Swan robot was built in 1773. The clockwork automaton can be wound up to play music, while the glass rods rotate giving the illusion of flowing water. The swan turns its head from side to side and also preens itself. After a few moments the swan notices the swimming fish and bends down to catch and eat one

The P2 robot was created by Honda in 1996, and was the first humanoid with realistic movement. Since then, Honda has gone on to create several more advanced robots in its Asimo range

Mr Greenhill, a photographer who designed robots in his spare time, added: 'I believed passionately - and still do - that robots may be the answer to many of the world's problems.'

Science Museum director Ian Blatchford said: 'Visitors to Robots will see the greatest collection of humanoids ever assembled.

'This stunning exhibition explores the fascinating question of why, rather than how, we build robots.'

The Reem full-size humanoid service robot is regularly used at events and conferences as a receptionist, entertainer and van even make presentations and speeches in many languages

Some of the less human looking robots include Inkha (pictured left), a receptionist who answers questions and offers fashion advice which was built in 2002, and the ECCE1 - the first anthropomimetic robot, whose body structure is based on a humans (pictured left)