Robots

Robots are already being used to build cars, perform surgeries and look after the elderly.

This leads some to speculate that Vesta will work like a roving Alexa, the personal home assistant inside of the Echo.

Finally, he said, companies like Amazon will have to tackle privacy questions.

Jibo is a 12.5-inch-tall stay-at-home robot that can help out around the house, tell you the weather or answer trivia questions.

Siddhartha S. Srinivasa is a professor of robotics. He said we're still years, perhaps decades, away from anything like Rosey. Rosey is the famous robotic housekeeper from "The Jetsons," a cartoon show from the 1960s and 1980s about a family living in the future.

Srinivasa expects robotics to continue developing steadily. Along that development, there will be unexpected breakthroughs that experts can't foresee. There is a "Holy Grail," though, something that everyone is working toward, Srinivasa said. That would be a robot that not only moves around, but physically interacts with the world around it. Like Rosey.

"Rosey is not a passive observer of the universe, she's an active participant," he said. "It's maddening how hard that is to create. Just getting a robot to pick up a coffee mug is incredibly hard while being incredibly easy for humans."

There are many challenges ahead. The home is one of them, Srinivasa said. Homes are not well-suited to robotic movements. It's much easier to design a robot that moves around a factory floor, he said, than it is to design one that can sidestep an ever-changing landscape of dirty clothes piles and children's toys.

Researchers will need to overcome many challenges before the robot will be ready

Several other companies have already created robots that can do chores around the house.

Many people prefer robots that can tell jokes and understand their emotions

Rosey is the robotic housekeeper from a cartoon show about a family living in the future.

It suggests that robots might not be too expensive.

It explains why Amazon decided to develop a domestic robot.

It gives examples of the tasks that robots can already perform.

It shows how much easier life could be with robots.

decades

unexpected

protective

adjusting

Ian won't let anyone mess with his younger brother

Ian and his younger brother go to different schools