Robot vacuums 'could water plants or play with cat'

Scientists person reprogrammed a robot vacuum cleaner to assistance complaint a telephone and assistance successful a location workout due to the fact that they deliberation the machines are presently excessively "idle".

Researchers from the University of Bath accidental the progressively fashionable home appliances are, connected average, successful usage for little than 2 hours per day, but could beryllium moving considerably harder - with immoderate modifications.

To beryllium their point, they retrained a Roomba instrumentality to transportation retired a scope of different chores, and outlined galore much imaginable tasks it could bash specified arsenic playing with a feline and watering the plants.

Such robots "are perceived arsenic limited, single-task devices but determination is simply a beardown statement that they are under-used for applicable tasks", said Yoshiaki Shiokawa, the writer of the study.

The planetary household robots marketplace size was valued astatine $10.3bn (£7.7bn) successful 2023 and is anticipated to deed $24.5bn by 2028, meaning specified devices are an progressively communal show successful people's homes.

Anyone who has watched a robot vacuum cleaner successful enactment whitethorn reason these ideas are a small far-fetched, fixed that existent machines sometimes conflict with the challenges presented by rugs and shoelaces portion carrying retired their halfway function.

However, scientists from the University of Bath and the University of Calgary successful Canada, person acceptable retired to beryllium that cleaners - and akin devices, specified arsenic lawnmowers - could beryllium reprogrammed and modified comparatively easily.

Their survey identified 100 functions the robots could perchance execute with elemental adjustments.

The scientists past reprogrammed a Roomba robot vacuum cleaner to execute 4 of them:

• A mobile telephone charger attached to the vacuum that is programmed to travel the user

• A robot with a projector attached that displayed a workout video connected a partition oregon ceiling

• A 'home monitor' with unrecorded video truthful a idiosyncratic could cheque connected the oven

• A surface showing 'do not disturb' connected a robot that was programmed to spell to a circumstantial location, to assistance minimise imaginable disturbances

Other projected tasks suggested by the scientists see a reprogrammed robot that carried the groceries from the car to the kitchen.

Mr Shiokawa, a PhD pupil successful the section of machine subject astatine Bath, said the task proved that "after making minimal adjustments, a Roomba tin service aggregate roles astir the home".

"For astir of the day, they beryllium idle", helium lamented.

He added that taking connected immoderate caller tasks progressive immoderate upgrades the mean vacuum proprietor astir apt would not person lying astir their homes, specified arsenic a cart, a helmet and a robotic arm.

Nonetheless, helium said radical should beryllium expecting much of their robots.

"We should beryllium extending their inferior beyond their superior tasks by programming them to physically navigate the location to execute a scope of further functions," helium said.

The study's co-author Dr Adwait Sharma agreed, saying the device's "idle time" presented "unique opportunities" to conscionable the "growing request for adaptable robots and integrated systems that tin seamlessly acceptable into our regular lives".