AFTER decades of hype and disappointment, robots are at last finding their way into our homes on a grand scale. The UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) in Geneva has released figures showing that worldwide sales of robots designed to carry out domestic chores and for home entertainment tripled in 2002. This year, it says, sales should outstrip the total number of industrial robots for the first time.
The UNECE defines robots as machines that are autonomous, programmable and mobile – or have a moving arm. They have been used in industry for many years, for example for making cars,…
