[infurl]

https://spectrum.ieee.org/labrador-systems-robot

It’s not often that we see a home robot that manages to be both relatively affordable and realistically technologically achievable while also solving a clear and widespread need. The iRobot Roomba was arguably the first good example of such a robot, but I’m hard pressed to think of what the second good example would be, which is why this new home robot from Labrador Systems is so exciting—it’s essentially a semi-autonomous mobile table, which is poised to have a huge impact on people who could really use exactly that.

[Don Patrick]

A long time ago when project S.T.A.I.R.S. had a hard time making an obstacle avoiding robot visually locate and collect coffee cups around an office with a robot arm, I asked why not just fix a tray on it in the meantime. Then the robot could roll around the office and ask people to place their empty cups on it, so it could take them back to the kitchen. But no, that would have been too useful to be scientific.

[MagnusWootton]

I like this stuff the best 2.

Physical tasks can actually be put into chat successfully, you just cant make it happen with coordination in the physical world.   if you can its worth heaps of money.
Even if possibly is a little embarressing and new,  its guaranteed useful as hell,  so ppl will do it I think...    but dont know.  (they will buy it.)