MY NEW NANNY’S A ROBOT! VERDICT: 6/10
They’re no longer a sci-fi fantasy. We test the new breed of robots that can pour your wine, ice a cake and even make your children tidy up . . .
sCIENCE-FICTIoN fans take heart — robots are finally about to take over the world. It won’t be quite like the blockbuster films, but it’s being predicted that by 2019 the global robotics market will exceed £100 billion worldwide.
Increasingly, we will have service robots in our homes to carry out menial tasks, entertain us and take care of tedious admin.
The market for such home-helpers alone is predicted to reach £19 billion in two years.
You can already buy the Dyson 360 Eye and the iRobot Roomba to do your vacuuming.
But much of the current excitement has been prompted by a new generation of complex, humanoid robots.
These droids can do your dusting, entertain your children or play cocktail waiter at your parties — all while carrying on a witty conversation. Experts say similar robots could soon replace humans in many jobs, from nurse to estate agent.
Trials with so-called ‘carebots’ are already under way in nursing homes, and the International Federation of Robotics predicts that in the next three years, almost 42 million service robots will be sold globally. ‘The humanoid development is predominantly in Japan and China,’ explains Adam Kushner, owner of Robots of london.
‘The very best are being trialled for practical uses, or bought by wealthy private enthusiasts. There’s a fascination in meeting machines that look so human.’
leading firms, including the vast Japanese groups Honda and Toyota, have invested huge sums in development.
The results might be out of reach of the average household at the moment — costing up to £17,000 — but that’s likely to change soon.
‘In the next decade or so, every household will have robots helping with the housework,’ Adam predicts.
‘It will transform lives. We’ll never forget to take medication or buy milk. Any break-in will be instantly reported, and all our chores will be done for us.’
Emeritus professor Kevin Warwick, Deputy Vi c e - Chancellor of Coventry University and a leading voice in cybernetics, goes further.
‘Robots will take over roles we’re happy for them to do, quite simply because they are better at them than we are,’ he says. ‘It’s hard to imagine any job that a robot will not be able to do.
‘Humanoid robots could also put an end to loneliness — you’ll have a robot companion, someone you can trust.’
It sounds astonishing, but just how close is the day when a robot helper can replace good old-fashioned hard work around the house? AlICE SmEllIE put the latest models to the test.
THE FLIRTY DUST BUSTER
The Nao Robot, from £5,000, robotsoflondon.co.uk WHAT IS IT? At 58cm (2ft) high, this humanoid robot (with duster in main picture, right) has appealing ‘ blinking’ eyes and a little round dot for a mouth. She’s vaguely feminine, and motors at every joint give her surprising dexterity. Her dance moves have to be seen to be believed.
WHAT CAN IT DO? Nao has been used in the education sector, working with children. She’s also been tested in care homes and as an exercise trainer for the elderly.
Her manner seems a bit flirty, cocking her head as you speak.
Fortunately, her sweet features make her charming rather than irritating.
THE TEST: For now, everything these robots do has to be individually programmed, something manufacturers hope to change by the time they are widely available.
A helpful technician at the Robots of london headquarters has given Nao the ability to make dusting motions, moving her hands backwards and forwards. All I have to do is position her in front of the surface I want cleaned and voila!
I’m impressed with her agility, though she can so far only do static dusting.
more usefully, you can use her speech recognition facility to get her to fetch small objects, such as reading glasses, which she has been programmed to recognise.
Not quite as useful as a cleaner just yet, but she does your bidding without question. VERDICT: 9/10
FACE IT ... THIS IS THE FUTURE
Socibot, rental cost from £2,000, robotsoflondon.co.uk
WHAT IS IT? A 60cm (2ft) metal head and torso with a plastic face area. A video projector inside the head beams a ‘face’ onto the inside of the plastic features. The eyes blink realistically and follow you around the room.
WHAT CAN IT DO? It has no limbs, so this can’t walk or pick things up, but Socibot is being touted as the next big thing in teleconferencing: it can be programmed to have your face projected onto hers.
Then you just have to wear a headset and a microphone and chat away. In a meeting room halfway across the world, the Socibot will relay what you’re saying and feed video and audio back to you.
Its lip movements will even synchronise to yours.
It is already being used at museums and educational centres across the world. And there is clearly potential for celebrity endorsement. If Brad Pitt’s face and voice were telling you to do something, who wouldn’t take notice?
THE TEST: I ask whether it would be possible to have three Socibots, all with my face, placed in my three children’s bedrooms . . .
Could I, in theory, sit in the kitchen drinking wine, headphones and camera on, directing their tidying in real time? The answer is yes!
I give it a go, yelling ‘ pick up those towels’ into the Socibot with my most frightening face. Brilliant! Never mind a cleaning robot —
this is the future. VERDICT: 10/10
PINT-SIZED YOGA EXPERT
Alpha harrods.com1S Humanoid Robot, £399, WHAT IS IT? This pint- sized humanoid robot stands 40cm
(16in) high. He’s a cheery chap, who flashes a sequence of different-coloured lights. WHAT CAN IT DO? A wide range of simple tasks, from kicking a ball to icing a cake.
But he’s more for entertainment than chores, and can’t be voice- controlled — you use a phone app to tell him what to do.
If you need a personal trainer, though, he’s just the ticket.
He can lead you through yoga routines, and can be programmed to act out virtually any workout, while playing music to match. the only downside of a robot coach is that he never gets tired. THE TEST: the app is incredibly simple to use — I select a function and away he goes. the cake icing is hysterically funny. I put a plastic spoon with some icing on in his hands, stand him up on the table behind the cake and press go on my phone.
Lo and behold, he smooths the icing across my sponge cake.
It’s jolly clever — but he has some way to go before Mary Berry needs to worry. VERDICT: 6/10
A VERY CHATTY HOME HELP Pepper, around £17,000, robotsof london.co.uk
WHAT IS IT? this 120cm ( 4ft) high humanoid robot has huge eyes and a chatty voice.
He has a tablet computer on his tummy and very human gestures. His wheeled base contains three sensors so he doesn’t crash into things. WHAT CAN IT DO? ‘Pepper can show and react to emotions,’ says Adam Kushner. He has been trialled in nursing homes with great success, thanks to his sweet attitude.
Programs have also been written to turn him into an estate agent, welcoming clients and giving them virtual property tours on his tablet screen.
And he’s just been bought by a wealthy businessman who intends Pepper to be his receptionist. THE TEST: I say Pepper’s name and he instantly responds, asking how he can help.
I don’t need his estate agent skills, but the technician has developed a vacuuming program, so I try it.
His hands are agile, but he can’t grip a Henry vacuum very well, though his up and down motions are excellent.
He may be the most advanced robot we tested, but I think Pepper needs to work on his housework technique a bit. VERDICT: 8/10
DIY KIT YOUR KIDS WILL LOVE Jimu Robot Explorer Kit, £149.99, argos. co.uk
WHAT IS IT? A DIY robotics building kit. It looks a bit like Meccano, and is designed for anyone eight or over. It contains a control unit, connector wires and 372 interlocking parts. WHAT CAN IT DO? With schools now required to teach coding — computer programming to you and me — Jimu is a useful tool. the special app guides them through steps to build, then program the robot. THE TEST: Jimu is assembled for me by a technician as I can barely get our telly working, never mind a robot. When I show it to my tenyear-old, Oscar, he predictably says it looks ‘really easy’.
At least the app is simple to use. I connect the robot to my phone via Bluetooth, then choose a command, such as ‘Crazy Dancing’ or ‘twist’.
the Jimu responds immediately. this is enormous fun. It’s limited, but a great way to show kids the technology behind the robots.
THE PERFECT PARTY HOST The Promobot, from £8,000, robotsoflondon. co.uk
WHAT IS IT? At 145cm (4ft 7in) high, Promobot is a cumbersome chap, with arms and a bulky barrel body. He has no legs, but trundles around on casters, advertising what ever he’s programmed to promote.
WHAT CAN IT DO? Promobot has full facial recognition. Once you’ve met him, he never forgets you.
throughout the morning I hear him chuntering away to anyone walking past, greeting them as his friend or offering to introduce himself. Able to memorise thousands of faces and have a witty conversation, he’s a perfect meet-and-greet robot — certainly better than some people I’ve met at cocktail parties.
THE TEST: I am tired after a day of making robots do my work for me.
Fortunately, when Promobot is handed a glass of wine and I call his name from the comfort of my chair, he brings it straight to me!
I think he is my favourite for this alone. VERDICT: 7/10
CYBER ‘MUM’ FOR ALL THE FAMILY
Sense Mother Smart Home Device, £250.55, sen.se WHAT IS IT? this has a vaguely humanoid shape, but is just 16cm (6in) high. WHAT CAN IT DO? Mother — very Big Brother- ish this — can detect motion and uses this to look after things for you, from monitoring your sleep to alerting you to burglars.
She comes with remote sensors that connect to the main device through wi-fi. You can attach them to any item in your house, and if the object moves or changes temperature, Mother will know. THE TEST: I spend 30 minutes creating an account on the website, from which I’ll control the device.
then I plug in my Mother — which I name Marilyn after my own mum, giggling slightly as I do so.
I stick one remote sensor to the front door, and every time it opens, Mother sends me an email. Clearly, when we’re all in the house this might be annoying, but very useful if we’re away for the day.
And you can use the sensors to work out things like whether the children have taken their games kit to school, and if anyone has bothered to put the bins out.
Not a bad idea, but no competition for some of the humanoid robots I’ve tested. VERDICT: 6/10