RISE OF THE ROBOTS
Cyborgs are yet to free us from domestic drudgery, but a new breed of gadgets is inching closer to the dream
High-tech optimists have long been predicting that the day when robots will finally lift the burden of dreary household tasks from our shoulders is just around the corner.
Think washing floors, scrubbing the grill, cutting the lawn, watering plants, changing cat litter, vacuuming the carpet — and, for good measure, pacifying the baby and entertaining the older children.
And while that home-robotics revolution hasn’t quite come to fruition, a handful of interesting robotic debuts recently brought consumers one step closer to the chore-free home of the future.
Based on recommendations from specialists, as well as some first-hand tests, here are seven notable robots that have made their debut recently.
Neato Botvac
Vacuums constitute the biggest and most competitive consumer-robotics category in the marketplace, and they’re getting better. The earliest models were criticised for their over-reliance on humans to maintain them. Owners also had to drag the bots to their charging stations when the batteries died, and move furniture that the robots couldn’t squeeze beneath. The Neato Botvac costs $480 to $600 (around 15,500 to 19,500 baht), requires less cleaning than the earliest robotic vacuums, and features good pickup power and a low profile that helps it sneak under couches. My favourite feature: When the battery is low, the Botvac returns to its charging station. When Dyson’s much-anticipated robot appears later this year, watch for similar features.
Grillbot
It’s a small, nasty job that’s too often forgotten until the food is ready to throw on the barbecue, but cleaning a grill can be a pleasure — as long as someone else is doing it. The $130 (around 4,200 baht) Grillbot works like a miniature Roomba, but with more fearsome metal bristles. On a hot or cold grill, start the bot, close the lid and 10-30 minutes later, the grate is clean enough to cook on. Some users have noted the bot’s tendency to shed bristles, but Ethan Woods, the company’s chief executive, said a new design has addressed the issue. Forgetful types will appreciate the device’s alarm, which sounds when the bot is left in a hot grill for too long.
Soloshot2
Filming oneself, for fun or work, is easy enough if you stand still. But for less-static pursuits — like sports, dance or just even romping in the yard with your toddler — filming and doing are mutually exclusive. The Soloshot2 is a $400 (around 13,000 baht) system made up of a robotic camera harness and a separate sensor that attaches to whatever you want to film. The harness points the camera in the direction of the sensor. With a range of 2,000 feet and a battery life of eight hours for the base and four hours for the sensor, the Soloshot2 can be used to videotape any activity, even your next synchronised swimming session (the sensor is waterproof). The only thing you need worry about is someone stealing your camera while you’re playing in the pool.
Robomow RS
Most household tasks can be blown off with few consequences. Drag your feet on lawnmowing duties, though, and you pay dearly. Robomow’s RS costs $1,100 to $2,000 (around 35,800 to 65,000 baht) and is among the latest entries in a category that’s attracting competition from established brands and startups. Setting up the mower can be a chore, as you must map out your yard with wires to define the Robomow’s boundaries. Once that’s done, though, the bot cuts as often as you like and returns to its charging dock when low on power. It’s electric, so noise is less of a problem than with conventional mowers. One big question for Robomow and its competitors is long-term reliability. But analysts give the latest generation of robotic mowers good marks for reliability, and electric mowers generally require none of the annual maintenance faced by owners of gas-powered mowers.
Robotis Mini
Robotis generated much attention for its Robotis-OP humanoid robot, which was praised for its sophistication and versatility, but which carries a $12,000 (around 390,000 baht price tag). This year the company released a miniature version of that device, which loses some of the versatility and durability of its bigger sibling but remains a technological wonder. Unlike the humanoid robot toys on the market, the $500 (around 16,300 baht) Mini is programmable and responds to touch, gesture and voice commands with fluidity and precision. Some owners have complained that putting the robot together is unduly difficult, and the company tacitly acknowledged as much with video tutorials intended to help users through the hours-long assembly process. Another significant drawback, for now, is that you need an Android mobile device running Android software version 4.0 to control the Mini. The cheapest of these are around $150 (around 4,900 baht). An Apple version is in the works, the company said.
Litter-Robot
Changing cat litter is the most dreaded entry on my children’s list of chores. The Litter-Robot may change that. It’s built with a sensor that knows when your cat has visited, and afterward the unit rotates like a giant cement mixer, to sift and deposit clumps into a waste tray. There are downsides: The Litter-Robot is fairly big — about 74cm high and roughly 64cm from front to back — so it may not fit easily in smaller apartments. At $389 (around 12,600 baht), it’s not cheap. And you need to keep it stocked with carbon filters and waste-tray liners.
Scooba 450
No company has done more to popularise home robotics than iRobot, the maker of the Roomba vacuum, the Looj gutter cleaner, the Mirra pool cleaner and, this year, the Scooba 450 floor scrubber. The $600 (around 19,500 baht) device soaks the floor, spreads cleaner and scrubs and vacuums the dirty water before a final pass with a squeegee. One hiccup we had during our otherwise successful testing: The “Virtual Wall” accessory, which creates an infrared barrier to keep the Scooba out of specific areas, cast so much infrared light that in smaller spaces the robot was hesitant to scrub anywhere.