Belvedere is a do-it-yourself butler robot. Based on the iRobot Create platform, Belvedere can move around avoiding obstacles (like small children), tell jokes and even dance.
(Belvedere the robot butler)
Science fiction fans have long been aware of the butler robot, like the one in The Midas Plague, the 1954 short story by Frederik Pohl.
There was the butler robot, hard at work, his copper face expressionless...
(Read more about Pohl's butler robot)
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Illustrating Classic Heinlein With AI
'Stasis, cold sleep, hibernation, hypothermia, reduced metabolism, call it what you will - the logistics-medicine research teams had found a way to stack people like cordwood and use them when needed.'
Deflector Plasma Screen For Drones ala Star Wars
'If the enemy persists in attacking or even intensifies their power, the density of the plasma in space will suddenly increase, causing it to reflect most of the incoming energy like a mirror.'