The 29-year-old fine art student designed and built a robot - "Optimus Wayne" - out of windscreen wiper motors, copper wire and old car batteries for his final degree project.

It works by pressing one of three pads – one moves the painting arm, one spins the pallet to change the paint and the third spins the canvas around.

Three different head pieces, each a different weight, also change the way the robot wobbles, affecting the way it paints.

University of Central Lancashire student Wayne, from Chorley, said: "The tutors always said I overworked a canvas and they said this is better than my work."

Wayne says the robot has created "some really good paintings, ones that humans wouldn't be able to produce".

Now he wants to use the robot in workshops with disabled children, to make paintings to order, or even rent it out for other people to use.

Wayne's work was exhibited alongside his fellow classmates for assessment by his tutors.

Now he hopes to get more life out of Optimus and, perhaps, to sell a few paintings.

He said: "I couldn't put a price on them at the minute, but people are interested in buying them."

The exhibition is open to the public at the Hanover Building, off Bhailok Street, Fylde Road, until Saturday June 14.