# How Cool Is This!!!! Personal robot assistant **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 17, 2003, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-cool-is-this-personal-robot-assistant/219627 "2003-12-17T22:25:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mastema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/94ad74/32.png) [@Mastema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mastema)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2003, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-cool-is-this-personal-robot-assistant/219627/1 "2003-12-17T22:25:27Z")
Before being immersed in Return of the King this morning, I was treated to a preview of the [NS-5](http://www.irobotnow.com). This thing makes the Roomba Vacuum look kind of pathetic, but I can’t find much info on it. Go to the website, read the info, and someone tell me what it is actually capable of. There are questions on the site like this Will you use your NS-5 primarily to: [list=a] [li]Wash your car[/li][li]Manage finances[/li][li]Go grocery shopping[/li][li]Make your bed[/li][li]Water plants[/li][/list=a] I was under the impression that this level of tech was still beyond us. Anyway, what do you think? ---
**Author:** ![Mastema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/94ad74/32.png) [@Mastema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mastema)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2003, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-cool-is-this-personal-robot-assistant/219627/2 "2003-12-17T22:26:59Z")
And I forgot to mention, for those of you who were worried, it is “Three Laws Safe”. The ghost of Asimov lives on. ---
**Author:** ![Chimpy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@Chimpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimpy)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2003, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-cool-is-this-personal-robot-assistant/219627/3 "2003-12-17T22:30:16Z")
ahh caliban what a book… yeh very cool my main use will be to order my army of minions around ---
**Author:** ![Mastema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/94ad74/32.png) [@Mastema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mastema)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2003, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-cool-is-this-personal-robot-assistant/219627/4 "2003-12-17T22:36:01Z")
**BigDaiv** , it looks like it could BE your army of minions. . . except for that whole “Three Rules” thing. You should also configure your own. I am personnaly leaning toward the “mint” colored eye’s with the classic finish on the titanium shell. YMMV ---
**Author:** ![HideoHo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3ec8ea/32.png) [@HideoHo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HideoHo)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2003, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-cool-is-this-personal-robot-assistant/219627/5 "2003-12-17T23:30:42Z")
Is there an Asimov movie coming out about I Robot? I’ve not heard of it… Well - apparently there is. [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0343818/](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0343818/) Will Smith as the lead can’t be good. Actually, it’s a rough cast all the way around. The website is cool, though. ---
**Author:** ![Mastema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/94ad74/32.png) [@Mastema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mastema)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2003, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-cool-is-this-personal-robot-assistant/219627/6 "2003-12-18T03:33:53Z")
Ok, this is too cool to just die, so I’m giving it one bump. ---
**Author:** ![Manduck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manduck/32/256_2.png) [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2003, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-cool-is-this-personal-robot-assistant/219627/7 "2003-12-18T03:38:39Z")
I hate to be the jerk, and maybe I’m being whooshed here, but, **Mastema** : you do know that that isn’t for real, right? ---
**Author:** ![Mastema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/94ad74/32.png) [@Mastema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mastema)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2003, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-cool-is-this-personal-robot-assistant/219627/8 "2003-12-18T03:53:54Z")
Am I being naive? Probably, but they advertised before Lotr, which must have cost some serious cash, and used “My Generation” as the theme for the commercial, which also couldn’t have been cheap. If it’s a dupe, it’s an expensive one. ---
**Author:** ![Mastema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/94ad74/32.png) [@Mastema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mastema)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2003, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-cool-is-this-personal-robot-assistant/219627/9 "2003-12-18T03:57:39Z")
This is, after all, a place to abolish ignorance, I could hardly label you a jerk for trying to rid me of mine. ---
**Author:** ![Manduck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manduck/32/256_2.png) [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2003, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-cool-is-this-personal-robot-assistant/219627/10 "2003-12-18T04:15:23Z")
I mean it’s a real ad for a movie, but not a real robot. (Not sure I was clear about that the first time) ---
**Author:** ![Mastema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/94ad74/32.png) [@Mastema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mastema)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2003, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-cool-is-this-personal-robot-assistant/219627/11 "2003-12-18T04:40:37Z")
I just managed to put 2 and 2 together and actually got 4 when I did a whois on the website and found out that Fox Media owns it. :smack: Ignorance has been fought and defeated here today. I will go now and bang my head on the wall to atone for the time you had to spend pulling the wool from over my eyes, as well as any occular damage you may have received from the extreme rolling of the eyes I must have caused. ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2003, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-cool-is-this-personal-robot-assistant/219627/12 "2003-12-18T05:54:55Z")
These robots, however, are real: [http://www.neimanmarcus.com/store/sitelets/christmasbook2003/F4O2048.htm](http://www.neimanmarcus.com/store/sitelets/christmasbook2003/F4O2048.htm) And only $400,000.00 for the pair! ---
**Author:** ![Eleusis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Eleusis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleusis)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2003, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-cool-is-this-personal-robot-assistant/219627/13 "2003-12-18T06:11:25Z")
> [@](#): > > Plot Summary for > I, Robot (2004) > > Page 5 of 12 > > Set in a future Earth (2035 A.D.) where robots are common assistants and workers for their human owners, this is the story of “robotophobic” Chicago Police Detective Del Spooner’s (Smith) investigation into the murder of Dr. Miles Hogenmiller, who works at U.S. Robotics (run by Greenwood), in which a robot, Sonny (Tudyk), appears to be implicated, even though that would mean the robot had violated the Laws of Robotics, which is apparently impossible. It seems impossible because… if robots can break those laws, there’s nothing to stop them from taking over the world, as humans have grown to become completely dependent upon their robots. Or maybe… they already have? Aiding Spooner in his investigation is a psychologist, Dr. Susan Calvin (Moynahan), who specializes in the psyches of robots… ---
**Author:** ![Eleusis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Eleusis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleusis)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2003, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-cool-is-this-personal-robot-assistant/219627/14 "2003-12-18T06:16:27Z")
Sorry the above quote is from **HideoHo** ’s link. That makes perfect sense now - I knew the robot couldn’t be real but I couldn’t figure out why someone would go to such lengths. Thanks **Mastema**. ---
**Author:** ![Eleusis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Eleusis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleusis)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2003, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-cool-is-this-personal-robot-assistant/219627/15 "2003-12-18T06:17:35Z")
err… **Manduck** even. I can’t think today. ---
**Author:** ![Manduck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manduck/32/256_2.png) [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2003, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-cool-is-this-personal-robot-assistant/219627/16 "2003-12-18T06:38:52Z")
The Roomba Vacuum, on the other hand, is actually kinda cool, although I don’t think it obeys the three laws of robotics 😉 About the movie: I just hope Robin Williams isn’t in it. And, on general principles, Kris Kristofferson. ---
**Author:** ![Already\_in\_Use](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a9adbd/32.png) [@Already\_in\_Use](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Already_in_Use)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2003, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-cool-is-this-personal-robot-assistant/219627/17 "2003-12-18T11:10:18Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Mastema \* > **I just managed to put 2 and 2 together and actually got 4 when I did a whois on the website and found out that Fox Media owns it.** Furthermore, the site says “coming July 16.” Look [what else](http://www.comingsoon.net/movies/i/irobot.php) is coming that day. ---
**Author:** ![Zap\_Rowsdower](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3da27b/32.png) [@Zap\_Rowsdower](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zap_Rowsdower)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2003, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-cool-is-this-personal-robot-assistant/219627/18 "2003-12-18T13:16:06Z")
[Bela Lugosi]Soon I will create my own rice of pipple, atomic supermen, who will conquer zee vorld!![/BL] ---
**Author:** ![NutWrench](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nutwrench/32/20193_2.png) [@NutWrench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NutWrench)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2003, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-cool-is-this-personal-robot-assistant/219627/19 "2003-12-18T13:22:22Z")
I’m holding out for the Robot Monkey Butlers™