Open Source Robot for Household Tasks

bednarz brings us a NetworkWorld story about the development of a robot through an open source project. The objective of the project is to "take robotics from research into homes." Quoting: "One of its immediate goals is to build 10 robots and make them available to university researchers as a common platform that can be tinkered with and improved. Willow Garage will also supply 'an open-source code base integrated from the best open-source robotics software available,' President and CEO Steve Cousins said. In Cousins' video presentation, the first version of the robot could be seen vacuuming, picking up toys off the floor of a living room, taking dishes out of a dishwasher, and most importantly of all, using a bottle opener to crack open a cold, refreshing brew."

One step closer to the singularity

[religious freak]

Ah, I can't wait...

Anyone

[artichokesquid]

... tested out the suction on one of these yet?

No one would need one of these

[CrazyJim1]

I see a world market for maybe five robots.

Open Source Robot

[ChengWah]

I for one welcome our beer-cracking overlords

Re:No one would need one of these

[megaditto]

People who can't get a woman to marry? That's gonna be half of slashdot, at least, so considering we are up to 7-digit UIDs now, it will be more than five.

Also, FTFS: "vacuuming, picking up toys off the floor of a living room, taking dishes out of a dishwasher, and most importantly of all, using a bottle opener to crack open a cold, refreshing brew." I would think the most important of all would be the price of the thing... and/or the ability to understand spoken double killer select delete select.

Re:Anyone

[anagama]

Who cares about suction. As long as it doesn't nag, whine, or yell, it sounds like bliss.

crack open a cold, refreshing brew?

[Dr.Altaica]

Article: "and most importantly of all, using a bottle opener to crack open a cold, refreshing brew."

Human: "I didn't know robots neede to drink"

Robot: "I don't need to drink. I can quit anytime I want to."

Re:All in a day's work

[ch-chuck]

It'll probably be run ON Vista, in which case it will try to anticipate what you want and then mow the dog, load your pants, iron the lawn, take out the dishwasher and wash the garbage.