# Why aren't people interested in robots anymore? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 4, 2004, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-people-interested-in-robots-anymore/232463 "2004-03-04T04:21:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![maleinblack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e5b9ba/32.png) [@maleinblack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/maleinblack)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2004, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-people-interested-in-robots-anymore/232463/21 "2004-03-04T17:46:20Z")
**Colinmarshall** May I interest you in [Asimo](http://world.honda.com/ASIMO/). Check out the site, it even has movies and other interesting info. ---
**Author:** ![Saltire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saltire/32/553_2.png) [@Saltire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saltire)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2004, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-people-interested-in-robots-anymore/232463/22 "2004-03-04T22:26:37Z")
Here’s an idea I’ve had which I think would be a great use of a self-guided wheeled robot. In my office, we have a lot of desktop printers scattered around, but we also have two large multifunction printers in the mailroom. These printers have a lot of abilities that the desktops don’t, but are generally not used by anyone who’s desk is more than 20 meters away from the mailroom. I need to use one of them all the time, so I’m constantly having to interrupt my work to trudge over there for a stack of paper. I’d love it if these large printers had a little robot as their output unit. Once the job is printed, the output section detaches and runs the printout over to the desk from which the job was sent. Sure, such a unit would be expensive and difficult to set up, but it could totally eliminate the need for all the smaller desktop printers. In the end, it might be more economical than the arrangement we’re using now. If anyone here is involved in printer design, you can have this idea free of charge. E-mail me if you would rather shower me with cash, and I’ll make myself available for that. 😃 While you’re at it, a printer that can be loaded with trays of various types of envelopes (rather than manually feeding them) and that prints on them without constantly jamming would also be very handy in offices around the world. (Death to peel-and-stick labels! Yea, brother.) ---
**Author:** ![Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cc9497/32.png) [@Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt.Ridley_s_Shooting_Party)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2004, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-people-interested-in-robots-anymore/232463/23 "2004-03-04T22:59:48Z")
I’m studying a joint degree in Computer Science and AI. There are **lots** of people still interested in robotics and other areas related to robotics. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2004, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-people-interested-in-robots-anymore/232463/24 "2004-03-04T23:46:48Z")
> [@Colinmarshall](#): > > C’mon, you _know_ I’m not talking about mechanical arms that attach doors to the frames of econoboxes. I mean, they don’t even _look cool_. Oh, but you gotta _play_ with one, which is way cool. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-people-interested-in-robots-anymore/232463.md?page=1)