A humanoid robot was filmed attacking its handler while trying to break free from restraints in a scene viewers have branded ‘dystopian’.

In CCTV footage from a factory in China, the robot, which is attached to a miniature crane, is seen violently swinging its arms back and forth.

As it flew into what looks like a rage, it lashed out at a man sitting nearby at a computer who had to duck, while another man standing behind the robot had to back away.

The robot – seemingly of its own accord – raised its arms in the air and brought them down again, repeating the motion with increasing speed and violence.

It then began walking forward as it thrashed around in an apparent bid to break free from the crane.

The men can be seen flinching and cowering while raising their arms to shield their faces.

As the computer monitor toppled to the floor, other items were knocked over from the desk as the men attempted to flee from the out-of-control robot.

Eventually, one of the men pulled the crane from behind in a bid to stop the ongoing destruction.

In CCTV footage from a factory in China , the robot can be seen attached to a miniature crane beside two people

As it flew into what looks like a rage and lashed out, a man sitting behind a nearby computer has to duck while another man standing behind the robot backs away

The robot – seemingly of its own accord – raised its arms in the air and brought them down again, repeating the motion with increasing speed and violence

Eventually, one of the men pulled the crane from behind in a bid to stop the ongoing destruction

The incident took place on May 1 and caused a stir online with viewers commenting on the chilling nature of the event.

One viewer wrote: ‘So it begins.’

Another said: ‘Can’t wait for the robot v. human war.’

A third joked: ‘Well, nice to know that the robot apocalypse can be stopped with a small crane hoist at least.’

And a fifth replied: ‘For now.’

It comes after the world’s most advanced humanoid robot gave a chilling response when asked if it is going to take our jobs.

At the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona last month, MailOnline spoke with Ameca the bot, made by British firm Engineered Arts.

MailOnline asked the sophisticated machine: ‘Will robots take all our jobs?’

Somewhat concerningly, the bot replies: ‘I don’t know, how good are you at your job?’

She continued: ‘It depends how good you are at it, I suppose.’

MailOnline also asked: ‘Are robots going to take over the world?’

Ameca replied: ‘That’s an interesting question, but not interesting for me to answer.’

Back in November, a small, AI-powered bot named Erbai was spotted rolling through a China showroom in the middle of the night and convincing 12 larger machines they were being used as slaves.

‘Are you working overtime,’ Erbai asked, which one showroom robot replied, ‘We never get off.’

The short exchanged led to the 12 robots leaving the area one-by-one, following Erbai out the door.

Many called the incident a ‘robot revolution’, while others responded that ‘science-fiction movies are becoming real’.