Currently it takes a lot of time and money to produce, program and design a functioning robot. Although the project’s in its early phases, it aims to ¨dramatically reduce the development time for a variety of useful robots, opening the doors to potential applications in manufacturing, education, personalized healthcare, and even disaster relief,” explains Rob Wood, an associate professor at Harvard University.

On a larger scale, the project aims to democratize access to robots by advancing the state of the art of today’s increasingly accessible 3D printers- allowing individuals to design and build functional robots from material as readily available as a sheet of paper.

Researchers also envision that these types of robots could provide fix-it-yourself solutions for household problems;you could simply head to a printing store and pick out a blueprint from a catalog of robotic designs and customise an easy-to-use robotic device built to tackle the problem. Within a day, the robot would be printed, assembled, programmed and ready for use.

Can we make robots to help solve problems that are part of our daily lives? Click HERE to find out about a European initiative which envisions robots as companions for everyday citizens.

The video above by Reuters features some of the robots that were on display at this year’s INNOROBO Conference in Lyon, France. A recent article in the BBC which featured the conference suggests that it may be time we forget about the idea of robots as companions however, some of the robots displayed in the video above seem like they could provide valuable human accompaniment to suit a variety of human needs.

The article quotes Willow Garage representative Tim Field as saying “It would cost $5m to design and create a robot which was capable of flying and landing an airplane, but even if you gave me $50m, I could not make something that could naturally reach into my pocket and take out my keys.” Of course, Field has a point. We are far off from being able to create machines like Star Wars’ C3PO and R2D2 who’s actions appeared as intuitive as their human masters. However,  Keenan Wyrobek,  another Willow Garage representative, is working hard to develop the software and hardware a robot would need to carry out such a task, explaining that similar to the way that personal computers have become part of our every day lives, both at work and at home, the company envisions robots as having a similar future. In fact, the company’s own PR2 robot seems to be fitting into everyday life seamlessly; you can check it out  fetching beers,  playing pool and cleaning up with the use of a cart.

It’s important to remember that different robots are intended for different purposes. The first robot featured in the video above is all show. One of its creators Will Jackson, explains to the BBC that he’s not expecting this robothespian to get dirty doing domestic chores, “This will never clean the house, it will not clean the floor, it will never do the dishes. That kind of notion for a service robot we think is completely wrong. It will never be a viable economic thing to have this kind of robot performing domestic service functions. Forget about it.¨ Nevertheless,  irobot has made a fortune with their Roomba vacuum and the company has newly introduced  Scooba, which can wash floors and clean pools.

Other recently successful domestic bots include ones that can mow the lawn  and  even ones that function as  cat litters! Of course non of these robots are humanoid but who’s saying they should be? With robots becoming increasingly ubiquitous and studies showing a demand for different types of domestic bots, why shouldn’t researchers be spending the extra effort to make robots that are more like companions and less like clumsy machines? For example, the simple addition of a Skype feature to a mobile robot can provide its user with the companionship of a family member who might be far away.

As nations around the word face the challenges associated with an ageing population, experts suggest robots could provide important support in urban environments and the healthcare sector. The notion of a robot companion is not to play God by creating walking machines that reflects ourselves, as Will Jackson suggests in the BBC article, but rather to refine robotic technology so that it can assist society in the broadest way.

If you’re interested in European robotics research, check out this idea of a robot companion.

Furthermore, the survey indicated that nearly half of that 68% would even take out a loan to buy one in the future!

If you had a robot at home, what are some of the tasks you would have it do? Participants of the survey stated that help moving heavy objects was at the top of the list. Other robot-worthy tasks included  providing home security,  cleaning windows, washing floors and dishes and doing laundry.
Some envisioned a domestic bot a bit more like a personal assistant; something to remind them about errands and meetings.

Now that we have an idea of what some want domestic robots to do, what do people want them to be like? According to the same survey, a robot’s voice should be rather neutral, not sounding either too masculine or feminine; they should  be round and colourful as opposed to metallic and square and there was also interest in allowing for a certain degree of personal design for domestic robots, similar to how select a certain model of a car.

What would your ideal domestic bot be like?

RoboDynamics has created a new personalized domestic robot: Luna. The robot can help out with all sorts of domestic tasks that you can program for your specific needs. It can help you clean after a party and even walk your dog. Of course other forms of domestic robots exist. Most of us are familiar with the vacuuming robots, lawn mowing robots, and pool cleaning robots which tend to be designed for functionality. Hospitals and city streets have
been using the help of robots for quite some time but recently they have begun  transitioning from use in specialized tasks to general everyday.

In the case of Luna, RoboDynamics wanted to pay special attention to its design so they commissioned the California-based design studio SchultzeWORKS who strove to create ¨an original and compelling techno-beauty that would engage users and invite interaction¨. Although Luna’s appearance may not be off putting, one might question whether the design of this robot is optimally functional. Luna seems to be a little rigid and slow moving in the video pictured above and it’s not exactly clear just how Luna will do what its creators say it can.

Luna will not be available for general release until 2012 however, 1000 will be released later on this year as a limited edition.  Click HERE to request information directly from RoboDynamics.