Automation. The automatically controlled operation of an apparatus, process or system by mechanical or electronic devices that take the place of human labor.
As humans we wake up every morning and many of us labor through our days in some sort of similar fashion. Clean ourselves, dress ourselves, feed ourselves, travel somewhere, engage in an activity that we are paid for, perhaps exchange some of that pay for various things, travel home, engage in home and family activities, be entertained and go to sleep.
And the never-ending dream to make each of those processes easier – to automate them – is in the back of many of our minds.
For as long as entertainment has existed, it has fed us the belief that these automation dreams could come true. Entertainment has shown us the possibilities of what could be, and how our daily lives would be so much nicer if only we didn’t have to engage in all the drudgery associated with being a human in this time in history.
Popular entertainment in the form of TV shows and movies have been at the forefront of this fantasy for decades. From TV shows such as “The Jetsons” and “Star Trek,” to movies as diverse as “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” and “Back to the Future,” we have been shown the ways in which our lives would be better if automated. Washing, dressing, eating, traveling, working and buying could be automated to take much of our physical effort out of the equation.
Now, depending on how automated we get, popular entertainment is not shy about showing us that utopia can have a few unintended consequences. From the animated movie “WALL·E,” which depicts sedentary humans who live their whole lives sitting in lounge chairs because automation is happily taking care of them, to the sci-fi mystery film “I, Robot,” that shows our automated designs, in this case robots, can have it out for us.
But through it all we still believe in automation and its overall benefits for us, and we continue to strive to find ways to take some of our personal human labor out of our daily lives.
Which is why I found myself this past weekend enjoying a few moments of downtime, and an adult beverage, while a robot helped out with the housework.
Yes, an automatically controlled vacuum cleaner was cruising around the upstairs of our house cleaning the carpets and floors, in place of my labor in the form of pushing and pulling our upright vacuum all over the bedrooms, bathrooms and hallway.
One thing you should know about me is that, as much as I was into electronic things early in my life, I reached a point many years ago where I no longer felt the need or excitement to have the newest electronic gear – most of which was supposedly focused on making my life easier. I became much more relaxed about automation, and was fine not being an early adopter.
When iRobot introduced the Roomba robot vacuum cleaner in September 2002, I vaguely recall thinking this was kind of a cute idea, but didn’t believe it would catch on, or even work for that matter.
A quick aside to clear up any robotic confusion due to similar names… “I, Robot,” the book (which I’m not discussing here), was a collection of short stories by author Isaac Asimov that was published in 1950. iRobot, the company, was founded in 1990 by MIT roboticists Colin Angle, Helen Greiner and Rodney Brooks. “I, Robot,” the movie, was released in 2004, and opened with Asimov’s famed Three Laws of Robotics written on the screen rather than opening credits.
More than a decade after introducing the Roomba, after iRobot had sold more than 20 million of them worldwide, and other manufacturers – Shark, Eufy and Roborock among them – had sold millions more, it was clear that I was not jumping on the robot vacuum bandwagon. So, our daughter bought my wife and I our first Roomba.
At first I was skeptical, especially after a few of the usual issues robot vacuum users become familiar with – the vacuum got stuck someplace and couldn’t get out, sucked up something that was too big or sucked up something that got wound around its brushes.
But over time I became a fan of this automation and its ability to replace my human labor. It even did something that normally required a great deal of effort on my part – cleaning under couches and beds. Because the vacuum is only a few inches tall it goes right under without me lifting or moving the furniture. Dust bunnies have become a thing of the distant past in our house.
I soon became so enamored with this automation that we bought a second robot vacuum so we would have one for each floor of our house. We’re now complete converts to robot vacuums. So much so that we gave the vacuums names: Reginald and Dooley.
Note that we did not get rid of our upright vacuums. They are still useful for quick jobs, cleaning anything above the floor and other miscellaneous uses.
And now that we are regular robot vacuum users, if you are one of us you are probably aware of the following. However, if you are looking to become an automation convert, here are three tips I will pass along:
- Buy a robot vacuum with mapping technology. It is so much clearer that the robot went everywhere when the map shows exactly what was vacuumed.
- Get everything that’s not nailed down or furniture off the floor before you start the vacuum. A wayward USB cord drooping off a coffee table is a fine way to stop the automated process in its tracks.
- Clean the vacuum after every full use. Another reason to keep your old upright vacuum with a suction hose. I was shocked how much dirt the robot vacuums pick up. And if anyone in your house has long hair, it will wind around all the moving parts of the robot.
As I said before I’m not much of an early adopter of technology anymore, but when I do find something that automates my life and makes it better, I’m happy to convert. So, if you see me sitting on our deck sipping a beverage this spring or summer, know that ‘m probably enjoying the fruits of automation!
