Robotics+AI=Robot Vacuum Cleaner

I recently wrote about robots and artificial intelligence.

I cannot leave those two subjects without mentioning what may well be the pinnacle of achievement of those two endeavours: the robot vacuum cleaner!

Imagine a device which can:

• Vacuum your house, and can remember where it has been and where it has not.
• Navigate around obstacles, and which is smart enough not to fall down steps.
• Return to its base when it has finished or when it needs to recharge.

You don't need to imagine such a device, you can go out and buy one.

The newest ones can even return to their base to empty themselves!

Pure genius.

I don't have one myself, but I know someone who has and she loves it.

So if I sounded in previous postings as if I were disappointed with the progress in robotics and AI then I now stand corrected!!


Here is a picture of a recent self-emptying model parked at its base station:

So if you're ever wondering what to get me for my birthday...

Apple Design

I mentioned in my last post that I thought that the robots in Alex Proyas's movie "I, Robot" were very realistic (by which I of course meant that they look like the kind of robots we will make in the future).

I suspect that the director/designers asked themselves this question: "If Apple were designing a robot, what would it look like?"

I remember a client challenging me with that question one day when we were discussing user interface options (well not the "robot" part of course!)

I had a moment of satori when I heard that question. The question is so good (and so much better than asking about "the sound of one hand clapping"). What would Apple do?

It's a question that encourages you to throw off received notions of what is and is not possible.

In the Steve Jobs biography there are numerous examples of him refusing to except that something "can't be done". And look at all the great stuff that his attitude produced!

So the next time you're making a design decision, I encourage you to check to see if your thinking is being hobbled by preconceived notions of what is possible, or what the "normal" solution would be.

And here to inspire you is an image of how Apple might design a robot:

Robots

I have always loved robots (or "droids" as they came to be known in some quarters).

I was drawn to TV shows (or even episodes of TV shows) that featured robots.

I even liked rubbish robots like K9 on "Doctor Who" and Rover on "The New Adventures of Wonder Woman".

I liked movies with robots/droids/drones/replicants. I loved R2-D2 for example (C-3PO, not so much!). I also have a soft spot for Huey, Dewey, and Louie from "Silent Running".

I loved Azimov's robot stories also.

Speaking of which, I guess the most realistic prediction for robots was in Alex Proyas's 2004 movie "I, Robot". The 2 disc DVD also had a very interesting documentary on robots.


Although I have spent my whole working life working with computers, I sometimes wonder if I should have been working with robotics but just got sidetracked!

But my favourite robot of all time was the robot on Lost in Space (the TV show, not the movie).

He was the robot that made me fall in love with robots.

I so much wanted to own a robot like him.

And one of the things I liked most about him (aside from the fact that he would wave his arms around and shout "danger Will Robinson") was that you could deactivate him by pulling out his power pack. I don't know why that appealed to me so much but it did!

Here's a photo of the robot with the aforementioned Will Robinson: