Editorial
June 4, 1999

In my role as a professional Game Designer and Producer, I am responsible for all aspects of the projects I work on... including the art.    Despite the fact that I have no formal training as an artist, I must occasionally criticize certain images or animations that I don't like.  No one likes to be criticized, of course, and since art is so personal and so subjective, a few artists have gotten quite angry with me over the years.  Invariably, the conversation turns to the fact that THEY have "X" years of art training, and I have none.   This is certainly a valid argument, and I quickly agree that I am not qualified to be an art critic.  I AM, however, qualified to be a member of the audience for their work. 

Which is all a long way to say that, while I don't have the credentials to be a robotics engineer, or a computer scientist, I'm most definitely qualified to be a robot customer.  I represent future robot buyers.  So while the ideas, thoughts, and experiments you find on these pages may not offer scholarly breakthroughs, they could offer insights and concepts that haven't yet been considered by the robot builders of tomorrow.  Call it 'market research'. 

This is really a semantic issue, but I believe it's necessary to make a distinction between the words practical and useful, in the context of this project.   

I would define a "practical" home robot application to be anything that might justify someone buying or using one. The term "useful" covers basic domestic functionality: cleaning the house, teaching the kids math, taking out the trash, etc.  These are all task-oriented behaviors that provide a real benefit to people.  It will be several years before robots are capable of these kinds of activities.

So does this  mean that we have to wait several years to get any benefit from having a robot in our homes? 

I don't think so.

There are some very interesting practical uses that I believe justify owning a home robot today: automatic vacuuming, education, security, hauling, and more.  (See the editorial "What Will Home Robots Actually Do? for a more complete list.)

Another application that shouldn't be overlooked is entertainment!  Programming a robot to say "Ouch" when it bumps into a wall is hardly a useful feature, but it makes us laugh, and there is value in that!

Some would still argue that entertainment is a pretty lousy reason to own a robot, but look at our pets.  Most dogs and cats don't help out around the house, but that doesn't mean there isn't a reason to bring them into our homes.  Of course, the naysayers will then wail, "A robot isn't the same as a dog or a cat; it's just a machine that does what it's programmed to do."  This is a valid point, but human beings tend to be anthropomorphic, that is, they ascribe human motivation and characteristics to inanimate objects.  In this case, reality is less relevant than our perception and interpretation of that reality.  There is a famous Isaac Asimov short story about a little boy and a robotic dog.  The boy's parents buy him a real dog and try to convince him that it is better than his lifelong electronic friend:

     Jimmy looked at Robutt, who was squeaking again, a very low, slow squeak, that seemed frightened.  Jimmy held out his arms and Robutt was in them in one bound.  Jimmy said, "What will the difference be between Robutt and the dog?"
     "It's hard to explain," said Mr. Anderson, "but it will be easy to see.  The dog will really love you.  Robutt is just adjusted to act as though it loves you."
     "But, Dad, we don't know what's inside the dog, or what his feelings are.  Maybe it's just acting, too."
     Mr. Anderson frowned, "Jimmy, you'll know the difference when you experience the love of a living thing."
     Jimmy held Robutt tightly.  He was frowning, too, and the desperate look on his face meant that he wouldn't change his mind. He said, "But what's the difference how they act?  How about how I feel? I love Robutt and that's what counts."
     And the little robot-mutt, which had never been held so tightly in all its existence, squeaked high and rapid squeaks -- happy squeaks. 

"A Boy's Best Friend," by Isaac Asimov
Copyright 1975 by the Boy Scouts of America

One of the goals of this project is to implement pet-like behaviors in Cybert.  This kind of research might someday make it easier for technophobic people to accept having a mobile robot in their homes.   This could have therapeutic and other benefits for the elderly and the infirm, who perhaps couldn't take proper care of a living pet. 

Here's an idea I came up with that should help illustrate one way to make a robot feel pet-like:  Dogs make us feel wanted by acting excited when we come home.  A similar behavior could be programmed into Cybert.  If his sensors haven't detected any people in the previous X hours, he could be programmed to head for the front door to wait.  When someone does trigger his sensor Cybert could then act tremendously excited, dancing and barking out exclamations.

In summary, I believe that there are compelling reasons -- right now -- to own a personal robot.  Though they may not be useful for a few more years, there are already some fascinating practical applications that could be implemented today.   Are these applications worth it, given the current level of technology and relatively high prices?

I'll let you know what I find out.