I’ve written a few times about the rise of robots in environments such as care homes, with experiments underway from Britain to New Zealand to test out the use of robots in such settings for everything from medical reminders to company and emotional support.

There is less evidence of such automation finding its way into more general domestic settings, although an Israeli company is attempting to make inroads.

They have developed a device, called Robit, which aims to provide help and support with daily tasks around the home.

Automating home help

The device works alongside an Android interface that is accessible from a tablet or computer, and is designed to complete tasks such as finding your keys or sending us messages when our children come home.

It achieves this latter task courtesy of a camera that can be trained to identify certain things, whether it’s your dog, your children or your wife.

It can also wake you up in the morning or even teach you various languages.  The makers even suggest it can mind your pets for you, although it isn’t clear if it’s capable of taking your dog for a walk.

Suffice to say, the device is still in its relative infancy, so it’s sure to develop some more advanced functionality over time, but it will be interesting to see how accepted it becomes in our homes.

For instance, studies have found that people are quite happy having robots in their life, just so long as they don’t cede too much control to them.

“When interfaces are designed to be almost human-like in their autonomy, seniors may react to them with fear, skepticism and other negative emotions,” the researchers say. “But, with those considerations in mind, there are actually several areas where older people would accept robot help.”

Check out the video below to find out more about Robit, or you can take part in their Indiegogo fundraising via the link above.

Robit is currently crowdfunding on Indiegogo, and available for preorder at USD 329. We recently saw a robotic concierge that will assist elderly users in care homes. What will be next in commercial robots?