Machines are on the rise
The best innovations for daily life
TEXT Franziska Rauser
At the bottom of it all …
… what you find is a dusty floor. A robot vacuum cleaner can be the solution. Depending on the model, the appliances allow you to schedule their working hours. Often, you do not even have to worry about charging the batteries either: the robot knows when its performance is decreasing and automatically returns to its charging station. It gets even better: many of the little helpers can now also do the mopping. Let’s be honest – who wouldn’t wish for someone else to take on this tedious task?
It’s not easy being green …
… not even for our lawns. To stay nice and green, lawns require a great deal of care. Robot lawn mowers take over the tiresome mowing job, working fully automatically – plus they mulch the lawn with the clippings to fertilise the grass and suppress weeds.
Is anyone home?
No? Then a surveillance robot could be a prudent investment. It monitors rooms, provides video recordings and can often even be operated remotely. Allowing you to keep an eye on things at all times.
Clear vision
Window cleaning robots can independently clean windows from the outside or inside. To do this, they are attached to one side of the glass where they use the magnetic principle to adhere to the window and clean it without leaving any streaks.
Take a dip
First in goes the robot, then you. It prevents your pool from turning into a quagmire – so you have more time to relax.
As the little robots quickly become an integral part of a household, they are often given names. Many of those monikers are rather creative. How about: ‘Dustin Bieber’ or ‘Bill Cleanton’ for the vacuum or mopping robot; ‘Mr. Mowbot’ or ‘David Mowie’ for robot lawn mowers or – regardless of the model – ‘Nobody’ in case nobody cleaned yet again?
Keeping the peace:
the ideal robot for new parents. A robot baby swing comes as a relief for tired arms and rocks babies to sleep. Some models can even respond to a restless baby by automatically starting a sleep program.
Less weight thanks to more technology?
It works – thanks to the weight loss robot. It supports people who wish to lose weight by offering them motivational phrases, tips and, if necessary, words of caution. Bit by bit, it gathers information about a ‘patient’s’ strengths and weaknesses and directly translates it into a suitable diet strategy.
Worktop with a brain
At the University of Washington, researchers have developed a kitchen counter that automatically recognizes ingredients placed on top of it and suggests appropriate recipes. It can be used as a touchscreen, whilst a built-in 3D camera and a projector even allow direct interaction with the worktop.
