Robotic Age Draws Closer

Robot could soon select a shirt and button it up for a disabled person

23 September 2010

Some day, a robot might find a hidden bomb or help a disabled person select a shirt and button it.

These days, robots are more common than you might think. Consider the Roomba, a programmable robotic vacuum which cleans floors on its own.

"We wanted to make something simple that people could use every day," says Helen Greiner, co-founder of iRobot, the company that makes the smart vacuum. "And that's what inspired us to build the Roomba."

Some robots, like the Roomba - a programmable robotic vacuum which cleans floors on its own - are already commonplace in many US households.

IRobot makes everything from the Roomba and remote-controlled bomb-disposal units, to robots that someday might become a part of us.

"You can have robotics incorporated into your body, to give back that arm or leg that you've lost, either in service or through some accident or disease," says Greiner.

Robots for everyday

New robot technology was on display recently in Denver, Colorado, at the annual convention of the Association for Unmanned Vehicles International.

Although robots have been developed mainly for military applications, civilian uses for the technology are growing, according to Michael Toscano, president of the Association for Unmanned Vehicles International.