10Meters News Report

March 12, 2001 – Wireless robots, now the stuff of child's play in toys like Tamaguchi-like Poo-chi dogs, will soon be smart enough to guard the house and bring in the newspaper.

In fact, robots of the future will function autonomously in open, unrestricted environments to support our daily lives at work, at home and at play, according to ActivMedia's new report: "Mobile Robotics: the Next Revolution." Stimulated by developments in computing and sensing technology, mechanical engineering and wireless communications, ActivMedia reports that robot technology is advancing to create a variety of bots:

Tele-Operated systems are dumb machines. Like the Battle-Bots, these remote-controlled machines perform tasks, but harbor little or no on-board intelligence. In practice, these offer people ways to perform remote tasks like examining pipe and tank interiors, and often enhance either our sensory inputs or our physical outputs. Remote-controlled surgical 'bots allow deft repairs to tiny veins and arteries, and open the door to heart surgery that is minimally invasive.

Programmable robots are taught a series of repetitive tasks. Examples include the ability to follow an embedded wire in the floor to deliver parts around a factory floor. Robot lawn mowers by Friendly Robotics hit the market in 2000, and in 2001 will be available through major retail outlets alongside traditional lawnmowers. Robot vacuum cleaners are next.

Limited-Authority Remote control LARC bots combine elements of programmable response with tele-operation to enhance the abilities of a remotely controlled machine to respond to its environment. Examples include 'bots that work in hazardous areas within nuclear reactors, detect and defuse bombs, and fight fires. Someday radar-collision avoidance systems will be in cars to prevent accidents.

Autonomous robots operate independently. These intelligent and responsive 'bots have on-board sensing and computing capacity to freely respond to their environment while performing programmed tasks independently. Autonomous 'bots are roaming halls in health-care facilities, calling elevators and opening automated doors to deliver medical records, pharmaceuticals and equipment. Fully equipped 'bots deliver goods securely in locked compartments that require authorized thumb-scans before opening the containers.