Eggie, Neo, Isaac and Memo are domestic robots. But would you let them load your dishwasher?

"It is impossible not to smile when one of these humanoid or partly humanoid (no legs) bots enters a room. The overall state of play is that many of them are now agile, sensitive and dextrous enough to carry out many important (and tedious) chores. We watched as Eggie the robot from relatively fresh start-up Tangible AI hung up a jacket on a coat stand, stripped a bed and wiped up a spill on the kitchen counter."

"Likewise NEO from 1X - which recently caused a stir by launching pre-orders for its robot - was able to slowly but effectively plod around the firm's test kitchen on its soft padded feet. It watered plants (with one spillage), fetched me a drink and tidied away dishes and cups (with some help from me as it struggled to grip the cupboard handles)."

Friendly humanoid and partly humanoid domestic robots are transitioning from concept to practical prototypes able to perform basic household chores. Robots such as Eggie can hang jackets, strip beds and wipe spills, though movements remain slow and wheel-based. NEO demonstrated plant watering, drink fetching and tidying, yet experienced spillage and struggled with gripping cupboard handles. Many current robots rely on human operators for control, an aspect often downplayed by companies. Start-ups and founders remain optimistic about rapid improvement and foresee robots becoming a common consumer aspiration alongside cars and houses.

Read at www.bbc.com