16 Robots You'd Die To Have In Your Life

If you still think that robots are a technology of the future, think again. Some parts of the world have already taken up the task of starting the use of robots to help out in their daily chores, from serving drinks to washing up. Time saving robots are here to lend a hand.

1. An upbeat friendly bot

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Pepper is designed to be your upbeat companion, and has made its European debut on Tuesday helping shoppers with wine, and more, in a major shop in France. The robot's maker Aldebaran has sold 4,000 Pepper robots since they launched in Japan in June. Pepper is said to be "new species" of robot capable of recognising basic emotions such as happiness and sadness by looking at people's faces. "Faces mean a lot to me; even more when they are smiling," Pepper said while describing its facial recognition capabilities during a demonstration. "It is pretty clever because it keeps me from trying to interact with non-human things. For example, those couches never talk back." Pepper's effort to spread to France and beyond comes with the challenge of adapting robots to different ways emotions are expressed in the world's diverse array of cultures and places.

2. A homemaking robot

Humanoid robot HRP-2 uses a tap after washing a cup during a demonstration at Tokyo University. The university's researchers showcased humanoid robots which can perform household chores such as serving tea and washing dishes. No more haggling with the maid, maybe?

3. A healthcare robot

A humanoid robot, jointly developed by the University of Tokyo and Japan's public research organisation Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, lifts up a basket filled with coral sand weighing around 30 kg during a demonstration. The robot, aimed to be used in fields such as nursing care and housework, is the world's first humanoid robot which is capable of lifting up a box weighing 30 kg and dragging a mannequin weighing 66 kg controlled by its built-in sensors. The healthcare sector could possibly be revolutionised with this.

4. A marriage witness robot

A humanoid robot named "I-Fairy" acts as a witness at a wedding ceremony. The couple decided to use the robot, which conducted the ceremony with its audio functions, from Inoue's company to perform the witness' duties as they first met due to a common interest related to robots. Now that's a wedding people will remember attending.

5. A space bot.

Robonaut 2 is shown in the International Space Station's Destiny laboratory during a round of testing for the first humanoid robot in space. Robonaut is a testbed for exploring new robotic capabilities in space, and its form and dexterity allow it to use the same tools and control panels as its human counterparts do aboard the station.

6. Robot stewards

Robots deliver dishes to customers at a Robot Restaurant in Harbin, Heilongjiang province. Opened in June 2012, the restaurant has gained fame in using a total of 20 robots, which range in heights of 1.3-1.6 metres (4.27-5.25 ft), to cook meals and deliver dishes. The robots can work continuously for five hours after a two-hour charge, and are able to display over 10 expressions on their faces, and say basic welcoming sentences to customers. All this without asking for a salary or a vacation. Perfect deal?

7. Asimo

Honda's latest version of the Asimo humanoid robot pours a drink into a cup during a presentation in Zaventem near Brussels. Asimo, introduced in Belgium, is an improved version of its Asimo humanoid robot, and has enhanced intelligence and hand dexterity, and is able to run at a speed of some 9 km per hour. Reminds us of iRobot, doesn't it?

8. Surgeon bot

A doctor operates on a patient with a surgical robot in Hefei, Anhui province. Technology is playing a growing role as Beijing overhauls a healthcare management sector blighted by chaotic patient data, under-funded rural health centres, overburdened city hospitals and a nationwide shortage of doctors. Government-supported programs are looking to leverage specialised software and communication equipment to get the most out of in-demand doctors and specialists at leading hospitals. China's healthcare management sector is growing at close to 40 percent a year and will hit $38 billion in the next five years, according to local consultancy Raisewin International.

9. Coffee making bot

SoftBank Corp's human-like robot named "Pepper" gestures as it introduces Nestle's coffee machines at an electric shop. Nestle SA started to use robots to help sell its coffee makers at electronics stores across Japan, becoming the first corporate customer for the chatty, bug-eyed androids unveiled in June by tech conglomerate SoftBank Corp. The waist-high robot, developed by a French company and manufactured in Taiwan, was touted by Japan's SoftBank as capable of learning and expressing human emotions, and of serving as a companion or guide in a country that faces chronic labour shortages. The maker of Nescafe coffee and KitKat chocolate bars plans to have the robots working at 1,000 stores by the end of next year, a Nestle official said.

10. Robo chef

A cook stands behind a robot as it process food at the kitchen of a restaurant in Hefei, China. The restaurant has a space of 1300 square metres, and a total of 30 robots cook meals, deliver dishes and welcome customers. In fact, this was reported to be the biggest robot restaurant in China. Wonder how good the food would be.

11. Kitchen king

A robot in the Robotic Kitchen prototype created by Moley Robotics cooks a crab soup at the company's booth at the world's largest industrial technology fair, the Hannover Messe, in Hanover.

12. Robo to help you shop

A robot named "Robovie-II" moves around a grocery store in Kyoto. "Robovie-II" is part of an experiment developed by Japanese robotics research institution ATR, to help the elderly with chores. The robot greets the shopper at the entrance of the store, follows him to the shelves while holding a grocery basket and reminds him of the items on a shopping list, which the shopper would have entered beforehand in a specialised mobile device. Cute, ain't it?

13. A robo driver

Farmer Wu Yulu drives his rickshaw pulled by his home-made walking robot near his home in a village at the outskirts of Beijing. This robot is the latest and largest development of hobby inventor Wu, who started to build robots in 1986, and is made of wire, metal, screws and nails found in rubbish sites.

14. Robo couple

Robot couple Xiaolan and Xiaotao carry trays of food at a restaurant in Jinhua, Zhejiang province, China. The restaurant, which just opened, has two robots delivering food for customers. The robots were designed as a couple, Xiaolan and Xiaotao. XOXO for life (or till the plug is pulled).

15. Robo receptionist

The human shaped robot, originally introduced by Toshiba last year, can use sign language and introduce itself, and started to work at the reception desk in the department store in downtown Tokyo recently. It is designed to interact with customers and recently has been upgraded so it can speak in Chinese.

16. A robot bartender

Humanoid robot bartender "Carl" gestures to guests at the Robots Bar and Lounge in the eastern German town of Ilmenau. "Carl", developed and built by mechatronics engineer Ben Schaefer who runs a company for humanoid robots, prepares spirits for the mixing of cocktails and is able to interact with customers in small conversations. It also gets better looking after 5 drinks.

DING!

(Inputs from AFP)