Let’s be honest, we all despise cleaning. Whether it’s picking up clothes or cleaning up after our kids, its not something we look forward to. Maids can be expensive and usually within a day, our house is messy again. A Japanese company is looking to help keep your house clean via way of robotics and artificial intelligence.

Robot Maid Picks Up After You

Japanese company Preferred Networks Inc. recently demonstrated a robot that can clean up your home and keep things organized. Its name is the HSR (short for Human Service Robot) and it can go from room to room, picking up and putting away items. The robot was initially developed by Toyota.

Onboard cameras and sensors help the robot maid navigate around the home. A computer vision engine based on advanced deep learning technology enables it to recognize and compile an inventory of items. It’ll know what they are and where they are supposed to be. So if you accidentally leave a sweater on the floor, it will know to put it back in your dresser. The Human Service Robot responds to voice commands in case you want that sweater to go into the laundry bin instead. It can even respond to hand gestures if you just want to point where an item should go.

credit: Preferred Networks, Inc

Human Service Robot Knows Where to Put Your Stuff

According to the press release, the deep learning robots can recognize household items like clothes, toys, and stationery. It can then grasp and place them in their proper locations. During the demonstration, the Human Service Robot was able to identify a pen, find a penholder and then place it properly in the correct direction and orientation. Forget where you put your favorite shirt? Just ask the HSR. The robots inventory can be accessed and used to find missing items in the home.

credit: Preferred Networks, Inc

Augmented Reality Screen Shows What Robot is Thinking

You can even see what your robot maid is thinking via its Augmented Reality Screen. The AR screen shows a visual display of how it recognizes objects in the room and what kind of action it’s planning to take next. This information helps the user give the robot better instructions.

Preferred Networks has not announced when or if the robot will be released commercially. While something like the HSR would be great for those of us who have trouble keeping our homes clean, it could also provide a huge benefit for the elderly or disabled. We would imagine they would also find some work in hotels and retail stores.

How much would you pay for one of these? Tell us in the comments.

Check out our article on another robot maid who not only cleans but also makes coffee.