2005 Research and Design Website Challenge:
Household Robotics
Results
| Middle School Division | |
| 1st Place | John Glenn Middle School |
| 2nd Place | Wahiawa Middle School |
| 3rd Place | Dewitt Perry Middle School Tm 2 |
| Honorable Mention | Dewitt Perry Middle School Tm 1 |
| Honorable Mention | Raul Yzaguirre Middle School |
| High School Division: | |
| 1st Place | Punahou School |
| 2nd Place | Tennyson High School |
| 3rd Place | Torrey Pines High School |
| Honorable Mention | University Preparatory School |
| Honorable Mention | Oak Ridge High School Team 1 |
Motivation
Over the years Hollywood has portrayed robots as dangerous and menacing, even capable of mass destruction. On the other hand, scientists have envisioned a future where robots are actually helpful [1] - a future where robots perform mundane household tasks and act as personal assistants thereby freeing people to enjoy more leisure time. If current trends are any indication, then this vision of the future is becoming a reality. The robotics industry, once dominated solely by industrial and military robotics, is now starting to prepare for a future in which consumers might be interested in robots for their homes. Companies such as Sony, Honda, Fujitsu and even The Sharper Image have begun to produce and market “humanoid” type robots targeted for household use [2]. Several products designed to perform specific household tasks have already begun to make their mark in households across the world. The Roomba by iRobot [3] is a robotic vacuum cleaner that can be programmed and then left to vacuum a room while the consumer is doing other things. Likewise, the Robomower by Friendly Robotics [4] can mow your lawn for you and stays within the yard’s perimeter by picking up radio signals from a wire installed around the lawn’s edge. Yet despite these inventions, household robotics remains more of a novelty field then one that appeals to the masses as something practical and useful.
Can household robotics be designed to appeal to the masses? Can robots be a more practical and economical alternative to perform mundane household chores? What problems could these types of robots potentially cause for consumers?
The Challenge
Your assignment is to:
- Describe the current state of household robotics for a specific household task or related set of household tasks.
- Tell us about the future direction of this technology.
- Tell us what has to be done to get it there, think about what you need to see in a household robot that would make you buy it:
- What would it need to do?
- How easy would it have to be to operate it?
- What would the price have to be?
- Give us your ideas and designs for creating household robotics for a specific chore. Keep the requirements you outlined above in mind when making your designs and try to back up your assertions (don,t just say the robot will be $10, justify the price by discussing the price of the parts or comparing it to similarly priced devices).
Your report should be in the form of a web page that is hosted on your team’s research page site. Your report should include sections that address the four points of the assignment. Your report must also include a bibliography. Reports without a bibliography will not be reviewed. If your references are to websites, you should include the URL. Other sources may also be used (e.g., books and journals) however a complete bibliographic citation for the source must be included in your bibliography. Hint: look at the bibliographies of your sources to find possible other sources to refer to.
Bibliography
- http://lombardresearch.temple.edu/ispr/examples/ex01_06_02.html
- http://www.thefeature.com/article?articleid=27617
- http://www.irobot.com/consumer/
- http://www.friendlyrobotics.com/robomo.htm