Dancing robots!
One thing I really like are robots. I think the design, ideas, and engineering knowledge that is necessary to create a functioning robot is just fantastic.
When looking at things like industrial robots it’s easy to look past the genius that went in to the design of a robotic arm and see something that looks like a crane, technology that has existed for hundreds of years, and not a complex AUTONOMOUS device. I have no doubt that, as time goes on, robots will become even more common place then today. Robots can be created to perform many mundane, repetitive tasks quicker and more accurately than humans.
Occasionally we see awesome robots that don’t necessarily serve much of a purpose (yet!) but look how cool this robot is: Hexapod (It turns into a ball at about 0:53 ) I am not sure what exactly that robot could do that would be productive. Perhaps explore terrain on other planets. Look awesome?
Think about this: line following is a staple of robotics. It has been for ages. Do a search for line following robots and you will find kits, completed robots, even races. Suppose at a school* there is a line painted on the floor or baseboard of each building to offer guidance for staff, students, and faculty (follow the blue line to get to a bathroom, follow the red line to an exit, follow a green line to classrooms). This system could be used by robots to navigate that building. If there were also RFID tags stored on the line that the robot could read then it could suddenly be used for things like automated refuse management. Travel the blue line, if an RFID tag is encountered read the tag, the tag contains information indicating there is a trash bin in the class room, it could also contain when the bin was last emptied. It is easy to think of an army of Roombas™ cleaning floors, emptying trash, and performing general maintenance.
Dealing with power is another concern but induction charging can be employed to handle this. Setup charging stations at strategic locations, Roombas™ already demonstrate that robots can charge themselves. If a facility is configured with robots in mind there is no reason why this strange future reality couldn’t be ours.
bonus video:
* This also works for hospitals, office buildings, or any structure really.
