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"I believe robots are going to be bigger than the PC industry because they can do everyday chores," says iRobot's Greiner. Looking like a plastic E.T. on wheels, her mechanical pet is supposed to be able to monitor the house for intruders or keep an eye on elderly relatives. Developed in cooperation with scientists from M.I.T.'s artificial-intelligence lab, it uses sonar to avoid running into walls and wireless networking to transmit its video images to the Web. A $20,000 industrial-strength model can even climb stairs.
But even the smartest robots fall far short of the high standards set by the robot maid in the Jetsons. Probotics' Thorne, who created the $700 Cye home robot, says he uses his mostly to shuttle dirty dishes from the dining room to the kitchen. Thorne's ambition is to reach the "get me a beer" level--where the robot goes to the refrigerator, opens the door and fetches a can. But that, he figures, will take another three years. Meanwhile, this bot's for you.
--With reporting by Sachiko Sakamaki/Tokyo