Remember watching The Jetsons and wishing you had your own robotic maid? Rosie the maid vacuumed, did dishes, made the beds, and was way ahead of her time. We’re used to robots building our cars, vacuuming our homes, and sorting our packages, but there’s a whole new frontier of humanoids set to be rolled out in dozens of industries, from security to healthcare and hospitality. Atlas is one of those robots, designed to aid emergency services in search and rescue operations and function in environments where humans can’t survive, like fires and war zones. On the domestic side, there’s the Moley kitchen, where a bot chef mimics the movements of human hands and can do delicate tasks like cracking an egg. All the user has to do is choose the number of portions, type of cuisine, dietary restrictions, calorie count, ingredients and cooking method from a recipe library and the chef bot will do the rest. Of course, the Moley kitchen doesn’t come cheap, averaging $335,000. Need a babysitter? No problem. Miko is a $300 bot that recognizes kids’ emotions, plays games, teaches them new things, and remembers what they say and how they feel. If you have caregiving to do but just don’t have the time, there’s Robear. This robot packs enough strength to transfer patients from a wheelchair or floor-level bed to a bath. It’s soft, cushioned body is designed to be gentle on the patient’s skin while providing maximum support. Finally, there’s Gita Bot, your own personal pack mule. The rolling robot can carry up to 40 pounds of whatever you need — groceries, luggage, tools, you name it. The 2-wheel machine uses cameras and sensors to track its owner. So, in the future, regardless of what you need, there will likely be a robot that can help you out.
