when will we have robots? we already have many kinds of robots! industries use a variety of robots and now robots are becoming more common in the home.
the husqvarna company makes a lawn mowing robot called the auto mower. the robot has sensors that detect where objects are in the yard and it maneuvers around them. the robot can cut the grass while you relax on the patio with a glass of mower. the vacuum cleaner automatically detects where the furniture is and vacuums around it.
cars are becoming robota now that many cars have gps (global positioning systems) on them. a car with a gps system can give you directions on how to go somewhere, tell you where the closest gas station is, and some day in the future, will drive itself. you will take a nap or read while the car drives itself to your destination.
we even have robotic pets now. the sony company makes a robotic dog named aibo that can sit, stand, and walk like a regular dog but can also communicate and take pictures! aibo understands certain commands, like a dog such as "sit down", "stand up", "turn right", etc. if you ask aibo a question such as "hoe old are dog", its eyes will flash the number of years old it is. ajbo is also a great guard dog. he can patrol the and take pictures with a built in camera of anything suspicious.