Call me old fashioned, but I usually don't expect to be woken up by a stuffed bear smacking me in the face. But as we look to the future of robotics, alongside surgical aids and car manufacturing, one of the next big advances is... the teddy bear snore-preventer.
This video shows a demo from 2011's International Robot Exhibition in Tokyo, featuring a visibly uncomfortable test subject as the robotic bear reacts to the sound of snoring and strokes the side of his face to get him to turn to his side. Another bear attaches to your hand and measures your oxygen levels as you sleep. The robot's developers hope that, by encouraging sleepers to lie on their sides, they can reduce the incidence of snoring and sleep apneas.
Aside from working as the snoring police, robotics engineers also see a future for robots as musical butlers. The company Ologic presented the AMP, or 'Automated Music Personality' at this year's RoboBusiness Conference in Boston, MA. Aside from rolling around and serving you drinks, this remote-controlled robot also streams music through its speakers, making it an instant dance party on wheels. That is, if you're willing to shell out $300-$400 for a roaming set of speakers. Personally, until the AMP goes more mainstream, I would suggest taking a tip from Parks and Recreation's Tom Haverford and just strapping an iPod to Roomba.
