Robot vacuum ready to clean up in the home

Robot vacuum cleaners and other automated household helpers are about to revolutionise work around the house, a UN survey suggests.

Robot vacuum cleaners and other automated household helpers are about to revolutionise work around the house, a UN survey suggests.

Sales of lawnmower robots, "the modern replacement for sheep", are rising rapidly, says the report. Only 3,000 are in use, but that figure is expected to grow by 30,000 in three years.

By the end of this year, home robot vacuum cleaners will go on the market. They function like the lawnmowers, guiding themselves slowly and quietly around the house, .

Ari Karlsson, the report's author, says they will have "optical sensors to detect the degree of soiling so the robots can distinguish previously cleaned areas and move to left-out ones. The robots automatically return to the charging station when batteries are low. The dust bag is emptied during reloading".

Sales of industrial robots have risen faster than in any previous year, by 39 per cent in America and by 16 per cent in Europe. The future of robots is bright because they can do routine work that few people enjoy, the report notes.