Four Robots That Are Learning To Serve You

From Star Wars' R2-D2 to The Terminator to WALL-E, robots have pervaded popular culture and ignited our imaginations. But today, machines that can do our bidding have moved from science fiction to real life.

Think hands-free vacuum cleaners or iPhone's Siri or robotic arms performing surgery. At the Innorobo conference in Lyon, France, the latest in service robot technology was on display.

"These are robots that can help us with our everyday tasks, which I guess is always the endgame for robots, wasn't it? To do the jobs that we didn't want to do," says BBC technology reporter Jane Wakefield.

Wakefield covered Innorobo and tells weekends on All Things Considered host Don Gonyea that while many of the innovations at the conference are available now, they are largely used by industry or research institutes.

"A lot of the robots on show were so expensive, they'll be a few years away before we see them in our actual homes," she says.

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Future Robot's FURo robot acts as a host.

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The Bestic is an "eating assistive device" for those who can't pick up a fork and spoon on their own.

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EPFL's amphibious salamander robot can both swim and walk, but the real potential is in how the robot can help us understand how spines work.

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Overdrive Robotics' Smartbot uses your smartphone as a brain.