Are We Finally Getting Closer to Household Robots?

Key takeaways

• Discover how AARP’s Ed Baig spotlights AI-powered household robots at CES for smarter living.
• Experience utility bots that fold laundry, deliver essentials and manage reminders for daily support.
• Benefit from emerging robots designed to ease chores and promote independence, especially for older adults.

Summary

Household robots are rapidly becoming more sophisticated, combining advanced AI with dexterous mechanics to handle everyday chores and even offer companionship. AARP tech writer Ed Baig explores the rise of household robots at CES, highlighting utility bots that can fold laundry, deliver items from room to room, and remind you of appointments or medications. These innovative devices promise to free up time, support independent living and provide social interaction, especially for older adults.

While fully autonomous home robots like the Jetsons’ Rosie aren’t in every living room just yet, prototypes unveiled at CES demonstrate remarkable progress. From robots that can grip objects and play Ping-Pong to those designed for friendly companionship, the future of household robots looks promising, offering practical solutions to daily challenges and the potential to enrich our lives in new ways.

The key takeaways and summary were created with the assistance of generative AI. An AARP editor reviewed and refined the content for accuracy and clarity.

Full Transcript:

[00:00:00] If you’re of a certain generation, you remember Rosie the Robot from The Jetsons.

Robots that perform the functions of Rosie are getting closer, as are a

[00:00:11] host of other robotics as AI and the mechanics of robotics come together. Hey,

how are ya?

[00:00:24] It’s really great to meet you. Ooh, you got quite a, quite a grip there for a robot.

Yes, robots are gaining the dexterity of the human, so it

[00:00:34] can, you know, really grip. Let me give you a high five. Let’s fist bump. We’ve seen

utility robots that can literally take stuff from

[00:00:43] one room and bring it to another. Or even having a robot remind someone to

take their medications or that

[00:00:50] they have an appointment coming up. So I don’t know about you. I hate doing the

laundry, especially folding the stuff after it comes out.

[00:01:00] My friend here, Floyd, can do it for me. Floyd can also go to the fridge and pick

out stuff for me, and basically

[00:01:07] take over the household chores that none of us really want to do. Now, this is a

prototype.

[00:01:13] It’s gonna take a while before you might have this Jetsonian kind of robot in your

own home, and

[00:01:19] we don’t know what it’s gonna cost. But I have to say, it’s pretty cool. As robots

evolve, they are taking on more human-like characteristics.

[00:01:30] Some of it may just be companionship. No one else is around. Maybe you get a

robotic pet or some other robot you can talk to.

[00:01:36] We’ve seen robots that serve those purposes. How about a robot that plays Ping-

Pong? It’s a prototype, but there may be someone or something in your

[00:01:46] future that can keep you active. Robots can serve a lot of functions that can help

older adults. A lot of what we see, it’s very cool.

[00:01:54] It’s getting better, but ‘still a ways away, and we have to be realistic about that.