LiveScience: Helpful Robot Alters Family Life

Jodi Forlizzi, assistant professor of human-computer interaction and design, Carnegie Mellon University, studies how the use of Roomba, a robotic vacuum cleaner, affects the lifestyles, relationships and attitudes of families compared with use of ordinary stick vacuums.

“The surprising thing to me was how much the Roomba changed the way that people cleaned,” said Forlizzi. The robot changed who did the cleaning, styles of cleaning and even how people kept their homes. In addition to naming their Roombas, some admitted they talked to the robot as it worked.

Unlike the Roomba, however, the stick vac didn’t change anyone’s routine. Given that both had similar cleaning capabilities, the Roomba’s autonomous, semi-intelligent features likely accounted for its greater impact, Forlizzi said. “The key is to let people talk. In that way, you see what people value.”

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