Batteries and sufficiently advanced AI.

I don’t think the technology is available. Self-driving cars still need further development. I don’t think you can have a robot do all the housework on its own.

I keep reading that your dream may be a reality within the next year or two. Don’t know that I believe them; but who knows, anything is possible. Personally, I don’t think I’m ready for a smartbot. Then again, I didn’t think I needed a microwave until I bought one & now I can’t imagine my life without one!!!

They have come an extreme long way in this field but for my guess is the technology isn’t where it needs to be just yet and price, the ones that are close are so expensive the average person could never afford one.

The shortfall is more than some simple hitch or even combination of hitches. You’re asking in effect why a machine has yet to be devised that is capable of duplicating most of the practical functions expected from a human being. All you need to consider is the extraordinary flexibility in decision making, motor skills, agility, etc required in so-called menial work like house cleaner or gardener to understand why even the obvious expedient of utilizing animals to wash the dishes is beyond current feasibility.

The actual mechanics are not that much of a problem, really.

Bullshit! Of course you can build a machine that might win a gymnastics event. Would you describe such a device as a “general purpose robot”?

You do not get it, do you?

Change the “it” to “you”. Do you suppose that “tumbler” might wash the dishes?

I don’t think that household tasks are so common and routine that a general purpose robot would be able to do them. Each household is different, needs are different, home layout is different, and so on.

Movies made it look easy, but I think we’re a long way off.

We thought hat driverless cars would be easy – and those are taking much longer than I expected. And driving, complex as it is, is easier than general purpose use in a home.

I guess we need a definition of “general purpose”.

Demand and cost. As of 2019 the technology is there only nobody has put it all together in a commercially available unit that the average joe can afford. I expect that to change within five to ten years. AI is much further along than most people realize. Houshold tasks won’t be the issue they were in the past for robotics.

Golly and think of the free time, for texting.

The mechanics maybe there, best imitation of a human body’s flexibility today——but the “eyes” and the “brain” aren’t there yet.

People, even AI professionals, tend to severely overrate the ability of AI to actually respond correctly to diverse situations.

Endless self adaptabilities.

Robot window washers

Robots delivering packages

Robots stocking shelves

Robot threading a needle, pouring drinks, giving out kisses

When I was in Berkeley, California last winter, I saw a little creature scooting down the sidewalk with a package on its back.

@ragingloli Can’t wait to see that puppy armed with a plasma rifle.

@stanleybmanly ”... most of the practical functions expected from a human being.”

I’m not sure we need to set the bar quite that high. I’d be over the moon with something that could manage the laundry, taking out the trash/recycling, cleaning, and doing the dishes. If it could water the plants, mow the lawn and pluck weeds, that would be icing on the cake. And it certainly wouldn’t have to be humanoid in form, it would just need to handle stairs reliably. It could even have access to a closet with job-specific attachments/tools (e.g. time to dust: grab the dusting attachment).

I’ve got 2 roombas, which my wife and I are pretty happy with overall. They don’t do a perfect job, but they dramatically cut down on the dust and dirt day-to-day.

It may not pull weeds; but, they do make an automower that is the grass cutting version of the roomba. They run anywhere from $200 to $3,500 depending on the functions you require. I think they have their own little garage & it goes out daily to run across the section of your yard that you’ve programmed in. I don’t think that they do the whole yard at the same time. Instead, they cut sections every day…repeating the process weekly to keep your lawn well manicured. Just do a search for grass cutting robot & see IF you can find one that you like!!!

@LadyMarissa A neighbor on my street has one. From the looks of their lawn, it seems to do a pretty good job. I haven’t seen it running wild down the street, unionizing, or developing self-awareness either, all of which are good things.

My point is that although we are already at the point where we can put out machines capable of surpassing human beings at specific narrow tasks, most of us don’t think about how enormously complex and varied the actual requirements are in fielding a device with the competence of the worst housekeeper. This is why even today our houses are basically sheds for more tools and devices than you can count to be utilized by the people within. A washing machine will clean clothes more efficiently than anyone living, but a machine capable of the tasks required in “doing the laundry” must exceed by orders of magnitude the complexity and expense of the best washing machine. To then expect the same machine capable of for example vacuuming the stairs, polishing the silver, doing the dusting, picking up toys, cleaning the blinds—it’s gonna be awhile.

Giant Supermarkets have introduced robots into their stores for detecting spills. When they find one, they send an alert. You would think that the robot would clean up the spill. If the robots could do this efficiently, don’t you think that they would?

That’s another illustration of just how complex the problem of something which appears so simple actually is. One of the great lessons of my life was my motorcycle accident back in the 70s. I was in the best physical condition of my life. But being confined to crutches was one of the great revelations in that life. In addition, to being off work, I spent an inordinate amount of time thinking about questions just like this one.