Robots arrived to stay

A few months ago National Geographics dedicated its cover to the subject and a few pages to talk about how much robotics has advanced for practical purposes. Of course, it has nothing to do with what the television series of the 80's showed, they predicted that by this time we were going to have robots with human forms, interacting with us, thinking and even invading the world to take control.

But the original idea of ​​robots has advanced every day, in the industry we have seen it for a long time, to mechanize processes. Companies like iRobot have made these arrive for more everyday purposes. The other time I was in Houston, with a friend who has a nice dog, but who leaves hair everywhere, we started to geofoam about why these toys have become so important in this world, and at much lower prices than what it would cost to do those routines with living people. Among the most marketable uses are the military, domestic cleaning, industrial cleaning, private security, remote communication, and research.

Military Uses

The need to save lives has led to the development of toys that detect mines, make semi-autonomous tours, scan in 2 and 3 dimensions, generate maps, this not only on land but by air and in the marine environment. In May of this year, the Irobots company reported that it has an order from the US Navy for 16.8 million dollars. To show at least three specimens in action.

IRobot Warrior	IRobot Negociator	IRobot Ranger
You can manipulate a rock up to 150 pounds, see it interact with an explosive object.	They can climb bleachers. Ideal for sending them to explore not only for military purposes but for public safety	It can detect mines in the sea, and can even generate information for digital submarine model.

The home uses of robots

But none of us has many plans to buy one of those objects, because we are not military. But common, tiring, routine tasks that take our patience away have been the first ones where the world of robotics has entered. Sweeping, vacuuming the carpet, mowing the lawn and cleaning the gutters or the pool are routines that in the first two years of marriage I even enjoyed doing them. But the frequency it requires, the tone of the person asking you, or the price you have to pay for someone to do it becomes tedious.

And that's where the marketing of these products comes in, because time these days is too precious to be wasting on cleaning cat fluff every day. Let's see some examples: 

IRobot Roomba	IRobot Looj	IRobot Watercress
Vacuum the carpet, as if it were a skilled employee. With the difference that its sensors have the precision of knowing when it requires another pass without leaving an inch out.	This one I love, cleans the channels, you just have to place it at the end and it moves like a heroic husband eliminating the result of months of inclement weather.	You can clean the bottom of pools, you just have to put it and this is responsible for removing dust, hair and even seaweed and bacteria.

Variations of these like the Scooba and DirtDog do sweeping, rough cleaning and mowing. Apart from extra accessories that are an art.

The price

An employee who cleans the pool twice a month, mows the lawn once, cleans the carpet twice a week, and sweeps garage dirt, pet hair and remains each day could be charging in a mid-developed country no less than $ 6 an hour, assuming you work 7 hours a day, 6 days a week would mean $ 1,000 per month plus related job benefits, while in a developing country it could be around $ 300. These toys cost half that, and this reason is causing people who do not want to spend their valuable time collecting dog fluff to choose to invest in a robot that starts at $ 300.

The opportunity for developers

In case someone wants to make modifications, the architecture of these toys is open and allows to create more specialized routines.

Companies dedicated to the provision of cleaning services could customize the functionality through Aware 2.0 and companies that develop accessories could do many more wonders.

And I ... I want one!