The frame is specially shaped to maneuver over a commode. A “trap door” opens so you can use the toilet in a dignified manner. No need for awkward transfers or assisted lifts. Stairs and inclines are a cinch too. A “Galileo Wheel” combines a wheel and track into a single drive with advantages from both. The entire chair even lifts to help you reach higher objects.

Nice concept tho not the first of its kind – the CARRIER seems well thought out and ripe for production. Hey, I’m all for design that can improve quality of life.

The CARRIER was developed as semesterproject at the University of Applied Arts in the Studio Industrial Design 2 Esslinger. (www.creativednaaustria.com)

Designers: Julia Kaisinger, Mayrhofer Mathias, Iranmanesh Niki, Demiric Bilge & Benesch Xiulian

Imagine a little army of these guys walking around on our streets on Earth, each one with a plant, each one with the task of finding the best place for that particular plant to thrive.

Fun, yes?

This design is one of the finalists in the 2009 Electrolux Design Lab.

Designer: Martin Miklica

The entire system is designed around modular tools to fit the task at hand. Sometimes you’ll need clearing, other times you’ll need a water container. The flexibility makes the Fire Guard the perfect firefighter’s assistant. One thing that’s unclear is the “autonomous” part. Does that imply the Fire Guard operates freely?

Designer: Aydin Mert

UPDATE: Check out the video of the robot in action

Features:

• Kaputt.R has a folded two-armed architecture that allows a wide range of motion.
  A counter-weight effectively balances the extended arms.
• It is propelled by 4 electric caterpillar tracks, allowing a wide and stable stance without exceeding the maximum load-bearing capacity of the floor.
• A selection of tools can be attached, such as a buzz-saw, plow, or high precision tools like the power gun.
• The Powergun was inspired by conventional explosive demolition.
• To curb pollution and additional waste (wiring, casings, etc.) the Powergun uses propane gas as its shockwave source.
• It directs pressure waves of propane gas explosions in a linear direction, effectively weakening walls by shooting holes through them. The wall can then easily be knocked down.

Designer: Tony Weichselbraun, Erol Kursani, Bernhard Ranner & Florian Wille

It’s got the promise of being The Central Hub of your home, but tell me, do you want multiple gadgets at home or would something all-in-one suffice for you?

I would love something all-in-one but I’d be weary of it all conking-off together! Imagine, phone, computer, net, TV all out-of-order at one go!

Designer: Doyeop Kim

Designer: Paul Grader

Pullya Does Chores

Pushya Sells Your TV

10) Amphibia by Alexander Hesse

So you are in the middle of the Great Barrier Reef, enjoying the corals and the fishes, but one steady fish that won’t leave your side is the Amphibia. Constructed primarily of neoprene and hard plastic, this salamander like robot is quite adept in both land and water. The center pivot axle for the 1.2-meter long robot contains an oxygen tank; it also features radar eyes, flood lights, electromagnetic wave emitters for warding off sharks. The beauty of course its communication features, the entire surface is able to change color to transmit one of the eight basic diving signals, such as OK, danger, resurface, etc.

9) i.go by Markus Cäsar

When the current crop grows old we parents are not gonna be around, and since they are so dependent on technology, this one’s for them. i.go is a foldable robot with a frog-like/human-like look. It’s supposed to help the oldies in their everyday tasks like going to the grocery store to pick up their stuff. Don’t scorn yet dears; in the future all this WILL be possible! Spec-wise this baby is 95 cm wide and 75 cm high, and it can independently transport goods weighing up to 30 kg at a speed of 50 km/h. At home the folks can unfold i.go’s backrest support and use it as a rocking chair. An innovative feature is that it can automatically reshape its wheels to elliptical, so as to reach up to goods that are placed up to two meters above the ground level.

8 ) Botan by Johannes Diem

Lazy future generation is gonna need a robotic weeder for their gardens! Botan suits this purpose perfectly; it removes weeds, trims the grass, and vacuums up leaves. Thanks to its integrated e-bug function, it localizes pests and either eliminates them or signals their position. No more garden worries in the future.

7) P.G.A. by Stefan Oberrauner

At this rate gardeners could become an extinct species in the future. With P.G.A. to tend to your lawns who; would hire humans? Specs on this robo read 4 telescopic legs to climb up trees and other plants with a high flexibility to reach all the twigs; a saw in the main body and scissors in one of its legs; and finally the ability to prune branches that are 6 cm thick.

6) Gio by Elisabeth Dioszeghy

Guide dogs are in danger as well coz their robotic counterparts will soon replace them. Blind folks will depend on Gio to paint the town red. Like a futuristic navi-system, it can rattle off the POI plus give all info on the shops available in that area. The perfect guide or perhaps an escort!

5) croww 540 by Christopher Gloning

Christopher is very specific about the era that his robotic invention is envisioned for. The year is 2057, and we have been banished to fate of crossing hostile, difficult areas, such as deserts, ice- planes and rock-masses on foot due to our bad karmas. To accompany us on the journey is the croww 540. An autonomous attendant robot system that carries your luggage, equipment and drinking water; it even fans out a tent, when you need to rest a bit.

4) Digital Scarecrow by KyungRyul Lim & Miyeon Kim

I don’t know how they do this in other countries, but back home in rural India, women usually plant a scarecrow made from an earthen pot, shirt and hay. They paint a silly face on the pot and use sticks to hold it in place like a head. Silly them! A robotic Digital Scarecrow is the way to go!

3) Sociable Robot by Nicolas Myers

This has to be the most creative farce of the lot! Future is so busy, gonna need a palm full of goop to help me stay in touch with my social sites like Facebook! “A virtual robot makes and keeps new contacts for you by taking over your virtual identity. Your only control over its decisions is through an interface representing the network itself : a black liquid surface covered by numerous spikes that stand for each of your “friends”. It is by altering the surface of this « liquid », that one can interact with the robot and influence his actions in the virtual world.”
Crazy, crazy future! And we’re gonna need this!

2) C-Bot by Niklas Galler

Climbing scaffoldings to check cracks and damage to the exterior of a building is not quite a fun job to do. C-Bot will be able to perform this task efficiently thanks to its innovative structure and built. This is one manual work that I don’t mind robots replacing.

1) Forest Fire Prevention Robot by Jordan Guelde & Daniel Shankland II

Every year lives and millions of dollars are lost due to for forest fires, but hopefully some respite is expected in the form of the Forest Fire Prevention Robot. It’s been devised to clear large areas of foliage from around a forest fire to help stop the flames from spreading.

I hope you enjoyed this compilation as much I did making it for you. My point for this whole list is that although we don’t know it yet, but innovations in robotics can help make life easy for us in many ways in the future. All we gotto do is keep an open mind.

Some blurry faces come in once in awhile and set up tasks for him via the fingerprint-secure remote control. And this makes him plan my schedule for the day. He’ll give me my medicines, plays games with me; we spend fun times together.

Those blurry faces come live on his projected screen and they converse with me sometimes, but I tend to ignore them. One time, I fell off my chair and couldn’t get up; Memo swiftly swung into action and called up the emergency guys. Those kind folks were able to tend to me promptly thanks to Memo’s agility and presence of mind….Presence of mind, now that’s something that I don’t have. They say I have Alzheimer…..Did I mention that I have kids….Do you know Memo is my friend?……..

Designer: Watinee Leewongjaroen

For some reason the robot is deemed for the far-away 2058, maybe that’s when such kind of ideas would be an everyday occurrence and acceptable! Besides being intuitive, xirrou is actually a 2-component artificial intelligent robotic system. The first component features a stamp on its lower side that measures 16 square-centimeters, allowing it to print artwork to the walls and ceilings.

Slated to be autonomous and creative, you can expect to have a mesmerizing time, watching it print out the graphics to the wall. A choice of pattern or picture can be fed to the robot; else it can dish out something groovy independently. Either ways, the robot’s software sources the art piece from the internet by buying or leasing them for a certain amount of time and printing them immediately.

The second component of xirrou carries 8 ink cartridges on its back and is hooked to the first half via an ink-supplying cable.

Each component has 5 feet mounted around the central ring and each foot has 3 servo motor powered joints. Special adaptable plates are attached to each foot that facilitates wall climbing.

An illuminate membrane at the central part of xirrou gives it a very ornamental look, making it fit comfortably in your home environment.

Now you know why painters may be out of a job in the future!

Designer: Christian Gumpold

The wave causes no damage to the animal, just gives them a little incentive. The scarecrow itself does no damage to the environment, and powers itself. Only thing I see missing here is a deterrent to human thieves! Though too many ultrasonics to the head might be shock enough.

This is the “Digital Scarecrow.”

Designers: KyungRyul Lim & Miyeon Kim