Would you let a robot cook dinner?
NOT content to simply conquer space, the billionaire founder of Tesla, Elon Musk, has revealed he is hoping to create a humanoid robot next year – the Tesla Bot – which would perform dangerous and repetitive jobs, such as attaching bolts to cars with a spanner or going for your groceries.
It poses the question – could we see robots in our own homes in the near future?
“A low-cost, general-purpose robot has been a goal of many for a long time,” said applied futurist Tom Cheesewright (tomcheesewright.com).
“Manufacturers want something that can be a straight swap for a human on a production line without loads of engineering or setup costs.”
But while Tom is doubtful that Musk, 50, will achieve his goal of a humanoid robot in the next 12 months, there is plenty of other time and laboursaving technology being developed right now.
So what does the future hold? Here’s what tech to expect in the next 10 years.
Set it to cook a risotto and it will stir and add the stock to your pan of rice
From self-iron wardrobes to weightwatching mirrors, futurist Tom Cheesewright talks home tech coming our way
ROBO PREP ASSISTANT
This will be the ultimate kitchen aide to help you with the tedious chopping and stirring while preparing a family dinner. “The robot will have computer vision and two arms that drop down, probably from the cooker hood, and will chop and prep your food,” said Tom. “For example, you could set your assistant to cook a risotto and it would stir and add stock to your pan of rice until you had a creamy dish ready to eat. This sort of tech is probably around 10 years away and would set you back around £2000. But you might want to think twice before arming a robot with a knife.”
WALLPAPER SCREENS
One day in the not too distant future most front rooms and lounges will be without a TV. Instead, the rectangular box we’re so used to crowding around will be replaced by smart wallpaper.
“Simply paste it up and it will work like any other wireless device,” says Tom. “You’ll even be able to set it to be the same colour as your favourite Farrow & Ball paint. This sort of technology is a few years off. It will cost probably twice as much as a similar sized TV.”
SMART BED
If you thought a bed was just for sleeping in, think again. Beds of the future will be much more than that and will have technology-filled mattresses that monitor your health as you slumber. “With health conditions connected to ageing and obesity, these tech-savvy beds will be keeping close watch on the quality of your sleep, any heart arrhythmia and other conditions,” said Tom.
“You could be sleeping on your very own smart bed in 15 years, as long as you’re prepared to pay a premium of around 50 per cent on top of the cost of a regular mattress.”
FITNESS MIRROR
In a couple of years you could be asking your mirror not if you’re the most beautiful of them all, but the fittest. “Your smart mirror, which will set you back around £1000, could tell you whether you’re gaining weight or your body is physically changing,” said Tom. “Your mirror could take a photo every day and check your measurements for you.
“As the technology improves, it could also start creating personalised feedback, such as exercise suggestions.”
IRONING WARDROBE
This really is the thing of dreams. Imagine throwing your clean-but-crumpled laundry into your wardrobe only for it to be ironed and folded into neat piles. “There will be limitations obviously, and you’ll find it’s not your whole wardrobe that is tech-savvy,” said Tom.
“But in around five years or so and for £1500, you should be able to install some technology that will allow you to drop clean T-shirts and tops in a chute for them to be steamed and folded, ready to be worn again.”
SUPER SHADES
We’ve all spent more time outside in our gardens as a result of the pandemic, but soon we’ll all be investing in huge super awnings that can cover outside space up to 50 square metres.
“These awnings will follow weather patterns to shield those outside from rain and will also be fitted with sun and UV filters,” said Tom.