Sanyo and Tmsuk have developed a robot that can alert its owners to a smouldering fire or an intruder via a howl or a mobile phone text message.

Dubbed 'Banyru', which means 'guard dragon' in Japanese, the four-legged robot is 1m long, 80cm high, 70cm wide, and weighs 40kg.

It can move at a top speed of 15m per minute, which is "more than fast enough for a home robot designed to travel in confined, cluttered spaces," according to Sanyo.

The company said that the guard dragon could "confidently" walk over 10cm gaps or climb a step 15cm high, using sensors located on its legs.

According to New Scientist magazine the robot will patrol a house and report back if it senses someone walking close by, or the scent of smoke.

Banyru can also be switched to 'pet mode', where he will act like a pet dog, obeying commands such as "sit" or "paw".

The robot dragon-dog will cost about $16,000 (£10,000) and will start selling next year, although pre-orders will start in December.