Robots of the Future

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Domestics. If the latest figures are to be believed, 2007 will be the year of the robotic revolution. According to the latest Robotics Survey, published in October by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, domestic robots now outstrip their industrial cousins. In 2005, the number of domestic droids exceeded the one million milestone, a figure that is now expected to rise into the several millions over the next few years. Christensen believes that next year South Korea will likely come out with the first truly multifunctional home robot. The South Korean government is committed to becoming a leader in robotics and has announced a plan to have a robot in every home by 2013.

Microsoft. It may not be the first time anyone has released a software developers' kit for general-purpose robots, but it's the first kit from Microsoft. The company has made it clear that it has every intention of doing for the robotics industry what it did with PCs, and the time appears to be now. With the cost of processing, storage, cameras, and other hardware relatively low and the demand for robotics increasing, the Japanese Robotics Association predicts that by 2025 the market will be worth a whopping $50 billion a year. It's no wonder, then, that Microsoft wants to get in on the act. By providing a generic platform for writing robotics software, Microsoft hopes to provide a foundation for the kind of innovation needed to make robots truly useful around the home. And if Microsoft's track record is anything to go by, the company will begin mass marketing this message in the coming year.