The robotic revolution is upon us! Or at the very least robots that are both functional and entertaining have been growing in popularity during the last few years. From the lovable children's toy, Furby to the iRobot Roomba which can vacuum your floors for you, robots are popping up everywhere. And these robots are becoming more technology we have around. Furby was not just a toy he was our interactive pet. And the Roomba has managed to delight users by becoming aemore than just some vaccum. People name their Roomba, video tape it doing the chores, and post youtube videos of the Roomba in comical scenarios. These robots obviously look nothing like humans however they are becoming automated members of the family. It is almost as if we are being weened onto the idea of robots being a part of daily life.
Now the question is what's next? Will we soon have robots that are not just automated machines but interactive creations? In the most recent Pixar movie Wall-e the futuristic world aboard the Axium is filled with robots helping people with every small task. In the picture (shown below) you see robots made to trim peoples hair, shave them, serve them drinks, and clean up after them. For example, the cleaning machine, Mo is not too far off from Roomba with a few adjustments that make him more human-like and relatable. We are amused by Mos' frustration and excited when he is able to help. And the truth is this futuristic cartoon world is filled with robots that researchers and companies are creating everyday in the real world.
One researcher at CMU Jodi Forlizzi is working on a next generation automated helper, "Snack Bot." This robots one goal is to deliver snacks to students at CMU. And I dont think we are too far off from a world where robots are just as much a part of our every day lives as computers!
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