Domestic Robots

Domestic Bots

Introduction

• Used for basic household chores
• used as Home transport robots
• “Modern version of domestic bots” introduced by bill gates writing
• Only in Science-fiction before it went into the mainstream

Aims

• Improve lives for us
• NOt worry about household chores anymore

Advantages

• Saves time
• Efficient
• Effective
• Housewife does not need to work
• saves energy
• Can clean in many places
• Saves effort
• Easy to maintain

Disadvantages

• Not flexible
• Not so smart and not able to sense certain things
• Not eco-friendly as it uses electrical energy
• Expensive to maintain
• Makes humans lazy and overly reliant on robots

Developments

• Bill Gates has created and launched and operating system for robots called Microsoft Robotic Studio that can be used in just about any kind of robot, the aim is to encourage different software developers to collectively "solve" the problems that have so far been holding robotics back.

• According to the International Federation of Robotics, the number of personal robots used in homes and offices around the world will rise from two million in 2004 to eight million by 2008.

Impacts

• In South Korea, the country leading the push for domestic 'bots, the government has made a commitment to have a robot in every home by 2013.
• In light of such developments the Japanese Robot Association predicts that the industry will be worth a whopping $50billion by 2025.

Examples

• Chapit has got looks in spades, plus it's still able to help you around the house. The bot can recognize voice commands with a vocabulary of 100 words to start, but capacity for up to 10,000 words. You can command Chapit to flip the lights, turn on the TV, and the net-connected bot can even be operated remotely if you're not nearby to shout commands in person.
• Scooba 230 is a powerful and compact cleaning machine created by iRoBOT. At 3.5 inches tall and 6.5 inches in diameter, the robot easily cleans in tight spaces, including under and around furniture and bathroom fixtures. Unlike with a mop and bucket, Scooba only uses clean solution to wash your floors, never with dirty water.

• Roomba vacuums the house so you don't have to.

• JULIA, designed by the Advanced Control Lab at National Taiwan University; she can respond to voice commands, browse the Internet, play mp3’s and many more.