CHAPTER 27 ■ ENCORE
Houseplant-Watering Robot
The robot normally sits on a charging base. Every once in a while, it would drive over to the sink and extend
a telescoping tube to obtain some water (perhaps a floor-level copper outlet would be easier).
The robot would then wander through the house, stopping at predetermined spots that are perhaps
marked on the floor to improve positioning. The robot would extend a telescoping probe up to reach
the houseplants. With the probe, the robot measures the resistance of the dirt, thus determining the
approximate moisture level.
If needed, the robot dispenses water into the pot. It proceeds on, visiting each plant, returning for water
and power as necessary.
Compost Cart
To weed a garden, a person normally plucks weeds and carries them along until their hands are full. The
noxious weeds with seeds are disposed of as yard waste, but the majority of the plant matter is eventually
deposited in a compost pile.
It would be very useful to have a robot that followed you throughout the garden. The robot would have
a pair of small buckets for depositing weeds and vegetable matter. When the gardener tapped a large button
(or whenever the mass exceeded a certain amount), the robot would speed away. The robot drops the first
load at a predetermined location for yard waste and deposits the other load in the compost pile.
The robot would then return to the last known location of the gardener, using a heat-sensor to catch up
or locate the person.
Trash Emptier
Someone with a remote control would drive the robot around the house to show the robot each of the
wastebaskets. At daily intervals (or perhaps at night), the robot would repeat the pattern, either unloading
the wastebaskets into a larger container located on the robot, or carrying the wastebaskets to a fixed
container in a central location.
For the ultimate helper, the robot could even be given a doggy door to take the waste directly outside
to the trash cans. Like in a bad sitcom, your family members would thank you for your neatness and
thoughtfulness at empting the trash so regularly, and you’d just smile and wink.
Window Washer
Here’s one that everybody laughed at.
You could attach a miniature robot with suction cup legs to any flat windowpane in the house while you
perform other activities. The robot would be equipped with a tiny squeegee and cleaning solution. It would
meander over the surface of the glass, cleaning as it went. After a while, you’d pass by and pop the robot off
and put it onto a new window.
Roof Rat
You could toss a weatherproof, drop-proof robot with an integrated solar panel onto the roof of a garage or a
house. It would seek the gutters and discard leaves on a regular basis. During the winter, it would scrape off
snow to prevent ice dams and to expose the dark shingles for absorbing more heat from the sun.
I guess after a hard rain you’d need to go and find the roof rat on the ground and chuck it back onto
the roof.