42-year-old Hong Kong product and graphic designer Ricky Ma constructed a life-sized robot from scratch on the balcony of his home.

The female robot prototype modeled after American actress Scarlett Johansson took Ma 18 months and over $50,000 to build. The robot can respond to a set of programmed verbal commands spoken into a microphone.

Besides simple movements of its arms and legs, turning its head and bowing, Ma's robot, which has blonde hair and green eyes, and wears a grey skirt and cropped top, can form detailed facial expressions.