Although robotics may be far from ideals laid out in the Jetsons world, there have been some really cool advancements in robotics in the last few years. Come on, Battlebots, anyone? What could be more awesome than robots battling one another? Well, there are a few robots who could wipe the floor, literally, after Battlebots. Let’s take a look at a few of these new robot greats.
Roomba
Speaking of cleaning the floor, the Roomba and other floor-cleaning robots have to be one of the best robot inventions of the last decade. Roombas vacuum and Scoobas scrub floors, freeing up their human counterparts to work, relax or spend time with family. Sweeping and scrubbing under low-profile tables, chairs and couches, the floor-cleaning robots use lasers and virtual walls to continuously clean an area or room until they return by themselves to home base for a recharge.
Bomb Squad Robot
Wall-E showed us that robots have heart, and the bomb squad robots take heart to a new level. Able to protect humans from the dangers of bomb dissemination, bomb squad robots can dissect a bomb while offering safety and love to the humans involved. These robots are typically designed with a sturdy base, multiple wheels and a long body/arm, which holds a claw-like hand, and a technician must direct the robot’s hand toward cutting the correct wires. However, the bomb squad technician can be well out of way of the bomb’s possible trajectory as he or she directs the robot to safely disable the bomb.
There are many more amazing advances in robotics worth mention, but these two stick out as the major players in the last decade. Future robots may be more specialized, but will we every produce the elusive Rosie from The Jetsons? Only time will tell; we can only hope Rosie will appear in this next decade.