Mankind and its fascination with robots started years ago when this term was coined in K. Capek’s 1920 science fiction play, ‘R.U.R.’ or Rossum’s Universal Robots.
The first digital and programmable robot Unimate was used by General Motors in 1961 for lifting pieces of hot metal from die-casting machines. Fast forward several decades ahead, and these highly intelligent machines with wire-to-board connectors, are helping us in every imaginable field, including performing household chores, surveillance, telepresence, and so on.
Soon enough, you can expect to have your home run entirely by robots as indicated by the creation of the below nine top household robots for 2017 and beyond! In no particular order, these are:
Roomba 650 – Let’s begin with the simplest of the domestic robots, the Roomba 650 that functions as a vacuum cleaner. It can map your home, clean every nook and corner thoroughly, including pet hair, dirt and debris. When it’s done, it returns to the home base for charging. Now that’s what we call neat!
Image Source: (irobot.com)
Nanda Clocky – Alarm clocks – can’t live with them, can’t live without them!
Nanda Home’s Clocky is a smart alarm clock with wheels and although it has been around for a while now, we definitely need it on the list of domestic robots.
The fun robotic alarm clock, which produces a loud R2-D2-like sound, gives the user one last chance to snooze before it leaps off the nightstand from up to 3 feet and runs away! This forces the user to run behind it to turn it off, and in the process, wake up completely. When it is “on the run,” a flashing backlight indicator turns on so that you can spot it in the dark.
If you’re a “snoozer” and have managed to destroy every alarm clock that messes with your “five more minutes” of sleep, this is just what you need!
Image Source: (nandahome.com)
Swash – Need a personal dry cleaning assistant to say goodbye to washing and ironing forever? Bring home Swash, which is a robot that helps you take care of your clothes with technologies such as ‘precision misting’ and ‘rapid thermal drying’ that help it remove odor and wrinkles within ten minutes. The best part is that it cleans even delicate clothes, which can’t be washed in a regular washing machine.
Swash helps you save clothes, time and money, which make it worth every single penny!
Robomow – Robomow is a robot for your garden. Available in as many as five models, it can easily handle your lawn mowing requirements, including cutting the grass to varying lengths. Simply program the size of the lawn (under ¾ of an acre) into the robot and watch it in action while you sip on your drink. You can also gain complete control of the robot with its app.
Bonus: Because it is electric, Robomow does away with the typical lawn mower noise and that’s why it is a hot favorite!
Image Source: (robomow.com)
Litter-Robot Open Air – The Litter-Robot Open Air is probably the first and the last cat litter box you’ll ever have to buy! Created by using the latest technology as well as customer feedback, its patented sifting process can sift litter automatically every time your feline friend uses it. The waste is deposited in a large-capacity waste drawer, which emits a light when it’s full. This way, you will never have to worry about an overflowing waste drawer or about when to empty it! It also has a Wi-Fi notification option so that you can receive alerts on your smartphone.
Wondering if your furry baby is too big for it? The Litter-Robot Open Air can accommodate cats that weigh 5lbs and more, and has a night light for nighttime visits from senior felines. An ergonomic cat entry and litter chamber also have a control panel lockout, battery backup, 8-hour sleep mode, and variable wait time setting that make it a must-have for cat parents.
SpotMini – Is it a dog? Is it a robot? It’s SpotMini, a four-legged mini version of the Spot robot, which doubles up as your butler. It has been created by Boston Dynamics.
By using the dishwasher and taking care of trash to climbing stairs to serve you, it is the perfect household robot. The all-electric SpotMini weighs 30 kgs and can go on for about 90 minutes on a charge. It includes stereo cameras, an IMU, position/force sensors, and much more to serve various functions. The 5 degree-of-freedom arm is another significant feature that lends it some amazing capabilities. And it’s also one of the quietest robots out there!
Kuri – Kuri is a 50-cm robot by Bosch-supported startup, Mayfield Robotics. The first thing that strikes you about the robot is that it resembles Baymax from the movie, Big Hero 6!
Armed with a microphone, camera, speakers and several sensors, the tasks performed by Kuri include notifying parents when the kids arrive home, greet the residents, play music, take pictures, and record videos. It moves around your home, takes direct routes, and smartly avoids obstacles like carpets or rugs in its path.
Lynx – Running your smart home with Google and Amazon Alexa is a breeze with Ubtech’s Lynx, which was unveiled at CES 2017. The humanoid robot not only carries out tasks as per your commands, but can also sense your current mood and act accordingly.
A multi-core processor, a camera and several other sensors enable this little robot to walk and follow commands like playing music, making calls, reading stories, sending messages, and even teaching you Yoga, given its flexible frame. It can also give hugs and hi-fives, which makes it the friendliest robot on the list. What more could you want from this quasi-android that entertains and impresses!
Asus Zenbo – The Asus Zenbo is designed to be a do-it-all smarthome assistant with its multiple cameras, touchscreen, microphone, speakers, and other features. The robot can drive itself around effortlessly without bumping into walls by using its cameras and uses the touchscreen face to emote. Give it voice commands using the microphones and it responds instantaneously via the speakers. It’s immensely handy for controlling various gadgets in your home just by using your voice.
The cute-looking robot can also break into a quick song-and-dance routine to entertain the entire family. But most importantly, you can use it to take care of seniors in the family as it can alert caregivers in case of an emergency. All these features and functionalities make it a “social” robot and an apt fit in the household.
These are our top household robot picks of 2017 and beyond. Which of these do you vouch for to lead a chore-free existence? Which other household robots do you want to add to the list? Share your views with us. We are all ears!
This Article written by: Rachel Oliver, she have been working as a freelance writer for gadgets, technology, and electronics. You can get in touch with her on Google+, Facebook, and Twitter.