Eoin Gubbins looks at the positive side of robotics

IN science fiction, robots tell you that you’re in the future (or in a galaxy far, far away). If there is a robot, then you’re in a different time, a different place, or a different dimension.

Yet, we’re getting closer to a time when robotic helpers are the norm. Sick of hoovering? iRobot’s Roomba, automated vacuum cleaner has been around since 2002, and Aldi stock a cut-price version.