How to get your home ready for a home robot

A home robot learns your home the way a new house-sitter would: it needs clear paths, a few rules, and to know where things go. This checklist covers what to sort out before one arrives.

1. Clear the paths

• Keep a walking path at least as wide as a person between the rooms the robot will use
• Tape down or tidy cords and loose rug edges
• Pick a spot for shoes and bags, so they are not left in hallways

2. Check doors and stairs

• Note which doors are usually closed, and which ones the robot may open
• Note stairs and any steps between rooms
• Decide if the robot works on one floor or all of them

3. Light and Wi-Fi

• Robots see with cameras, so dark hallways and glare make their job harder. Add a nightlight where it's dark
• Check that Wi-Fi reaches every room the robot will work in

4. Pick a charging spot

• Choose a spot near an outlet, out of the main walkway
• Leave room for the robot to back in and out
• Avoid spots near water, heaters or stairs

5. Give things a home

• Robots put things away well when every item has one place
• Use bins and labelled shelves for toys, shoes and laundry
• Write down where things go, room by room

6. Set safety rules

• List no-go areas, like a baby's room during naps or a home office
• List objects the robot must never touch, like the stove, knives or medicine
• Keep cleaning products and medicine locked or up high, as you would for a child

7. Think about privacy

• Home robots use cameras and microphones. Read the maker's privacy terms before you buy
• Decide which rooms the robot never enters
• Ask whether remote helpers can see through the robot's cameras, and when

8. Write down your routines

• The robot can't guess how your family does things. Write each chore once: when, where, and what "done" looks like
• Start with daily chores: dishes, toys, counters
• Add your rules to each chore, like "leave the puzzle on the table"

Do it once, use it with any robot

Most of this checklist doesn't depend on which robot you buy. Your rooms, your rules and your routines stay the same. RobiTasks keeps them in one place, as a home model and task plans, so they're ready for whichever home robot you choose. See which chores robots can do.