Ascott Living January - March 2015 | Page 10

hot bots The future is here – robots are moving out of the manufacturing world and into your home. They’re here to help you wake up, drink up or simply boogie down Monsieur Meet the robot bartender who, once stocked with various tipples, can pour you a double before you’ve arrived home, determine if you have a date and offer them a cocktail, and have a drink ready when your team wins the big game Voice Activated R2-D2 He obeys 40 voice commands, and can even dance while playing Star Wars music, replay dialogue and follow you around Clocky For the lazybones in your family: Clocky rolls away while it trills an alarm, forcing you to get out of bed to reinstate the silence Sometimes we can watch a sci-fi movie, like the recent Interstellar, and feel a bit short changed. Where are the flying cars promised to us decades ago? Or the meals in pill form? But at least robot companions are closer than you think. In many ways, they are here already, transforming the way we learn, work and play. You only have to look at the figures to back that up, and it’s a sign of the times to see how our expectations have evolved. In 1928, US presidential candidate Herbert Hoover won his election campaign 08 AS COTT LIVING thanks largely to his memorable promise to deliver to every home “a chicken in every pot and a car in every garage.” Now, the expectation may well be for a robot to beep its way into every home. The exciting thing is that you can already decide how you want to use your new mechanised f