1/28/2009 PERMALINK
Bots becoming smarter and more versatile, meet STAIR
STAIR, the STanford AI Robot, is an effort by researchers to build a bot that is able to carry out a wide range of autonomous tasks in the unstructured environment of a home or workplace, including:

Pick up any object lying in home or office.

Unload a dishwasher.

Fetch an object from an office, in response to a verbal request.

Prepare simple meals using a normal household kitchen.

Tidy up a living-room after a party, including picking up and throwing away trash, and loading the dishwasher.

Using multiple tools (screwdriver, hammer, pliers, etc.) as needed, assemble a bookshelf.

... more