Intel’s Robot Butler Serves, Clears, and Does Dishes

Our collective dream of a Jetsons-like future is inching closer to reality with a little help from Intel, which this week showed off HERB (the Home Exploring Robot Butler) to FastCompany.com. The robotic butler, built as part of a collaboration with the Quality of Life Technology Center and Carnegie Mellon University, uses six multi-core computers along with multiple sensors to perform various tasks around the kitchen. HERB has some powerful capabilities. It can serve, toss things in the trash (or recycling), sort dishes and place them in the dishwasher, and more. But there are still plenty of issues to overcome before HERB can will be scrubbing your pots. During our demonstration, Intel programmers spent nearly 10 minutes debugging code before the HERB was finally able to grasp a container and throw it away. Once HERB got going, though, we could see a real-life robo-maid become a very distinct possibility. Check out our video below. Ariel Schwartz can be reached on Twitter …

iRobot Scooba Unboxing. Robot Mop!

Rosie may have been just a fictional character from the Jetsons, but the idea of a robot maid is not that far off, and the folks at iRobot are helping that dream become a reality. I’ve long used a Roomba, and always been quite happy with the performance. I curious if the same will be true for its mopping brother. Stay tuned to see if the Scooba 350 is worth your hard earned money. For More: Scooba: cuthut.com TechnoBuffalo: technobuffalo.com Follow me on twitter: cuthut.com iRobot Scooba 350
Video Rating: 4 / 5

Tums Jetsons

George Jetson gets heartburn and Rosie helps him out with a Tums Quikpak.

The Jetsons Meet Rosie the Robot 9″ Vinyl Doll

The Jetsons Meet Rosie the Robot 9″ Vinyl Doll

• 1990 The Jetsons Movie Collectible

Rosie is a 9″ tall vinyl robot wearing a removable cloth uniform. Her body twists and her arms move up and down.

Price: $ 14.99

Savior of Moons: A Collection of Science Fiction by Alan E. Nourse (Three novels and ten short stories in one volume!)

NOTE: This edition has a linked “Table of Contents” and has been beautifully formatted (searchable and interlinked) to work on your Amazon e-book reader, Amazon Desktop Reader, and your iPod/iPad e-book reader.

‘Savior of Moons’ is a comprehensive collection of three novels and ten short stories written by acclaimed science fiction author Alan E. Nourse.

Robert A. Heinlein dedicated his 1964 novel Farnham’s Freehold to Nourse. Heinlein in part dedicated his 1982 novel Frida

List Price: $ 0.99

Price:

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There’s a Robot in Our House!

There’s a Robot in Our House!

“AI.” “Bicentennial Man.” “The Jetsons.” “Richie Rich.” “I, Robot.” These films and TV programs may have elicited various emotions and opinions from the viewers.

Indeed, these movies and shows have unveiled the different sides of robots. However, they still point out a certain fact — that robots, or robotic devices, are smart, fast, and hardworking. They perform according to their assigned purpose or duty. And they can be the most reliable members of your household. Yes, your very own household!

From vacuum cleaners and surveillance systems to pets and leisure gadgets, robotic devices are definitely “invading” our homes.

In fact, a study released last year by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe revealed that more than 600,000 consumer robots or household robotic devices were used all over the world in 2003. The Commission also predicted that an additional four million units would be used in the next three years.

More and more consumers are joining the “robotics bandwagon” — purchasing devices basically to make their lives easier and less complicated. These people have discovered that their lifestyles should be attuned with the modern, fast-paced times.

Are you one of them? Why should YOU use robotic devices in your home? Here’s a list of some of the numerous benefits that such technological gadgets can give you:

1) They make work — and life — easier for you.

Household robotic gadgets willingly, and literally, do the dirty work for you. Consider the robot vacuum cleaner which can do the following:

It cleans effectively and efficiently. Since it cleans more dirt in a single sweep as compared to standard upright vacuums, the robot vacuum cleaner actually saves 50% of your time.

It cleans a whole area. Because of its compact shape, the robot vacuum cleaner can completely clean the area under your bed or other furniture.

It detects areas that need the most