As
a
child
of
the
1980s,
my
perception
of
the
smart
home
has
been
dominated
by
the
idea
that
one
day,
we
will
all
have
Rosey
the
Robot-style
robots
roaming
our
homes
—
dusting
the
mantelpiece,
preparing
dinner,
and
unloading
the
dishwasher.
(That
last
one
is
a
must;
we
were
smart
enough
to
come
up
with
a
robot
to
wash
our
dishes;
can’t
we
please
come
up
with
one
that
can
also
unload
them?)
However,
after
seeing
Boston
Dynamics’
latest
droid,
Atlas,
unveiled
this
week,
my
childhood
dreams
are
fast
turning
into
a
smart
home
nightmare.
While
The
Jetsons’
robot
housekeeper
had
a
steely
charm,
accentuated
by
its
frilly
apron,
the
closer
we
come
to
having
humanoid
robots
in
our
home,
the
more
terrifying
it
appears
they
will
be.
Not
so
much
because
of
how
they
look
—
I
could
see
Atlas
in
an
apron
—
but
more
because
of
what
they
represent.
With
its
bipedal,
hardcore
yogi
moves,
Atlas
is
a
new
all-electric
humanoid
robot
from
Boston
Dynamics.
And
while
the
next
generation
of
the
company’s
Atlas
program
is
designed
for
commercial
use,
they
tout
it
as
being
capable
of
doing
work
that’s
“too
dangerous,
too
hard,
or
too
dull
and
dirty”
for
us
humans.
Three
of
those
things
definitely
apply
to
the
home.
While
Atlas
seems
intentionally
designed
to
feel
menacing
—
or
at
least
far
from
cuddly
—
the
technology
on
show
here
makes
it
easy
to
connect
the
dots
to
the
creation
of
a
humanoid
home
robot.
Nvidia
is
working
on
that
very
thing,
recently
announcing
the
launch
of
Project
GR00T
Foundation
model
for
humanoid
robots.
“Building
foundation
models
for
general
humanoid
robots
is
one
of
the
most
exciting
problems
to
solve
in
AI
today,”
Jensen
Huang,
founder
and
CEO
of
Nvidia,
said
of
the
launch.
“The
enabling
technologies
are
coming
together
for
leading
roboticists
around
the
world
to
take
giant
leaps
towards
artificial
general
robotics.”
As
a
child
of
the
aforementioned
’80s,
artificially
intelligent
robots
are
the
stuff
of
nightmares.
The
Terminator
series
embedded
the
fear
of
the
robot
uprising
in
the
psyche
of
my
generation,
and
things
haven’t
gotten
much
cheerier
since.
Isn’t
it
cute?
Anthropomorphizing
household
appliances
has
its
charms
...
and
its
chills.Photo
by
Jennifer
Pattison
Tuohy
/
The
Verge
However,
pop
culture
aside,
it’s
clear
that
robotics
have
a
place
in
our
homes.
The
question
is,
should
we
be
working
toward
an
all-capable,
bipedal,
human-like
bot
to
take
everyday
chores
off
our
hands?
The
more
I
think
about
it
—
and
the
more
robots
I
have
roaming
around
my
home
—
the
more
I
think
the
answer
is
no.
We
don’t
need
a
robot
that
understands
what
we
say
and
can
replicate
our
movements;
we
need
robots
that
do
one
job
(or
maybe
two
related
jobs)
and
do
them
well.
I
have
more
experience
than
most
with
home
robots.
Amazon’s
Astro
robot
rolled
around
my
house
for
two
weeks.
I’ve
played
with
an
ElliQ
companion
robot,
tested
dozens
of
robot
vacuums
and
mops,
and
currently
have
two
robot
lawnmowers
patrolling
my
garden.
Not
to
mention
the
various
smart
speakers
scattered
around
my
home,
packing
artificial
intelligence
inside,
including
one
with
a
screen
on
a
robotic
arm
that
swivels
to
face
you
when
you
talk
to
it
(yes,
it’s
creepy).
If
there
is
a
robot
uprising
on
the
cards,
I’ll
be
the
first
to
go.
When
robots
do
their
job,
they
are
very
useful.
When
they
go
wrong,
they
can
wreak
havoc
When
robots
do
their
job,
they
are
very
useful.
When
they
go
wrong,
they
can
wreak
havoc.
I’ve
had
a
robot
lawnmower
cut
down
my
husband’s
favorite
plants
and
a
robot
vacuum
knock
over
a
chair,
causing
a
domino
effect
that
ended
in
a
smashed
window.
Unsupervised
mechanical
devices
moving
around
your
home
come
with
consequences,
and
the
fewer
responsibilities
—
and
appendages
—
you
give
them,
the
less
catastrophic
those
will
be
when
things
go
wrong,
and
the
better
they
will
do
the
job
they’re
designed
for.
A
robot
that
can
fold
clothes,
a
dishwasher
that
can
empty
itself,
a
stovetop
that
can
sauté
the
garlic
and
onions,
these
are
the
innovations
I’d
like
to
see.
Some
have
been
attempted;
others
seem
like
the
stuff
of
Samantha’s
kitchen
in
Bewitched.
All
seem
safer,
simpler,
and
ultimately
more
comfortable
than
having
a
six-foot
robot
roaming
around
my
house.
Comfortable
because
when
my
self-emptying
dishwasher
breaks,
I
can
responsibly
recycle
it
and
get
a
new
one.
When
my
humanoid
robot
housekeeper
reaches
the
end
of
its
firmware
updates,
I’ll
have
to
put
it
out
to
pasture.
Reading
about
how
Atlas’
predecessor,
having
reached
the
end
of
its
purpose,
has
been
decommissioned
and
is
now
a
fixture
in
the
lobby
of
Boston
Dynamics,
I
felt
a
tinge
of
sadness.
It
brought
to
mind
the
heartbreaking
final
moments
of
Kazuo
Ishiguro’s
excellent
novel
Klara
and
the
Sun.
Anthropomorphizing
appliances
—
imbuing
them
with
human
characteristics
and
human-like
intelligence
—
brings
with
it
a
whole
host
of
complicated
challenges
around
the
nature
of
consciousness
and
the
boundaries
of
humanity.
This
is
not
something
I
want
to
deal
with
when
it
comes
to
a
dishwasher.
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