Global robotics landscape · Family 09
Service and domestic robots
Assess cleaning, delivery, hospitality, education and household assistance through the realities of public access, human contact and long-tail environments.
FUURAA thesis
Public and domestic environments turn rare edge cases into everyday design requirements.
How to use this page
Move from what it is to how to judge it—without being misled by one specification or demo.
Separate embodiment, sensing, control, tooling and operations.
Open in-depth topic →02WorkRead value through the complete task and environment, not movement alone.
Open in-depth topic →03EvidenceTest claims with repeatable metrics, failures and human intervention.
Open in-depth topic →04BoundaryKeep standards, regulation, site and research-stage limits visible.
Open in-depth topic →System anatomy
A working robot is the result of several engineering layers holding together.
Each layer explains its job and the signal most worth verifying next.
Task mechanism
Cleaning, carrying, delivery, guidance or physical assistance requires a mechanism matched to objects and surfaces.
Open in-depth topic →02Navigation and interaction
Robots must interpret people, pets, children, furniture, lifts, doors and changing social conventions.
Open in-depth topic →03Human interface and authority
Users need to understand robot state, limits, alerts, data collection and how to stop or obtain help.
Open in-depth topic →04Service operations
Installation, mapping, consumables, charging, cleaning, updates, support and end-of-life data handling sustain the product.
Open in-depth topic →Real-work map
Form factor is an entry point; the complete workflow is the unit of value.
These are not capability guarantees; they frame the task boundaries and evidence a reader should seek.
Cleaning
Coverage, surface treatment, contamination control, obstacle handling and verified cleanliness define value.
Open in-depth topic →02Indoor delivery
Dispatch, lifts, doors, recipient authentication, handoff and failed-delivery handling form the real workflow.
Open in-depth topic →03Hospitality and guidance
Novelty fades; sustained value depends on accessibility, queue handling, language, escalation and staff integration.
Open in-depth topic →04Domestic and personal assistance
Trust, consent, privacy, contact safety and caregiver responsibility become as important as task success.
Open in-depth topic →Evaluation checklist
Five questions turn product claims into testable deployment judgements.
Procurement, replication, pilot design and policy review should record success, failure and human cost together.
- 01
Task outcome
Define useful completion—cleanliness, delivery integrity, assistance quality—not movement alone.
Open in-depth topic → - 02
Public interaction
Test children, pets, wheelchairs, crowds, low-light conditions, language differences and intentional interference.
Open in-depth topic → - 03
Contact and trapping
Assess impact, crushing, pinching, hair or clothing entanglement and safe manual release.
Open in-depth topic → - 04
Privacy and security
Map cameras, microphones, location and household data through collection, access, update and deletion.
Open in-depth topic → - 05
Service continuity
Plan network loss, vendor outage, blocked paths, charging faults, software rollback and safe retirement.
Open in-depth topic →
Scope boundaries
Make explicit what is unknown and what cannot be generalised.
- 01
Success in a mapped venue does not establish robust performance in arbitrary homes or public spaces.
Open in-depth topic → - 02
Personal-care robot safety standards do not cover medical devices, industrial robots, toys, flying or water-borne robots.
Open in-depth topic → - 03
Engagement, novelty or user satisfaction should not substitute for safety, accessibility and measurable service outcomes.
Open in-depth topic →
Sources and evidence status
Return to the original record before deciding how far a conclusion can travel.
Each source carries a publication or review date, evidence status and the conclusion it cannot support alone.
ISO 13482:2014 — Personal care robot safety
Covers mobile servant, physical assistant and person-carrier robots, including physical human-robot contact hazards.
ISO/FDIS 13482 — Safety requirements for service robots
Expands the proposed scope to service robots in personal and professional or commercial applications.