Robots That Help at Home

Robots that lend a hand

Some robots help out at home. A robot is a machine that can move and do a job.

You may have seen a round robot roll across the floor. It cleans up dust and crumbs. That is a helping robot!

What do home robots do?

Home robots do small, simple jobs. Here are a few:

• A floor robot drives around and cleans the floor.
• A toy robot can light up, beep, or roll when you press a button.
• A smart speaker can play a song when you ask.

Each robot is good at one thing. None of them can do everything.

How does a robot know where to go?

A floor robot has little sensors. Sensors are like tiny eyes and feelers.

The sensors help the robot feel when a wall is close. Then the robot turns so it does not bump too hard. It keeps rolling and cleaning, bit by bit.

A robot does not really see the way you do. It senses the room and follows steps. You can learn more in How Computers See Pictures.

Robots follow steps

A robot only does what people told it to do. People write a list of steps, like:

1. Roll forward.
2. If you touch a wall, turn.
3. Keep cleaning until the floor is done.

A list of steps like this is part of coding. If you like telling machines what to do, try Coding!

A grown-up still helps

A robot is clever, but it is not perfect. It can get stuck under a chair. It can run out of power and need to charge.

So a grown-up still helps. They empty the dust. They charge the robot. They keep everyone safe.

A robot is a machine, not a person. It cannot feel happy or tired. It just helps with a job, and that is wonderful!

Want to meet more clever machines? See Meet Artificial Intelligence.