I believe that most homes in the developed world will have a domestic multipurpose — probably humanoid — robot in 10 years. This is not the consensus in the field; I often meet people who hold the opposite position, but debating that is not the point of this post. Instead, let us assume it will happen and consider what it will change.
The first thing a new versatile tech product does is almost completely replace more specialized products. Before smartphones, we had portable GPS devices for cars, MP3 players, PDAs, compact digital cameras, and of course non-smart phones. Some things are only partially replaced, for instance credit cards, loyalty cards, calculators, agendas, portable gaming consoles, and alarm clocks.
So what would go away if we had general-purpose robots? The first category I can think of is specialized robots such as cleaning robots, kitchen robots, and lawn mowers. But it would probably also directly replace less obvious things such as home alarms, and possibly partially pre-cooked food — see later regarding that.
Beyond products, new technology often replaces or diminishes the demand for certain jobs. AI is already doing that with many white-collar jobs, but giving it a bodily extension will go further.
It may not be the case for the first models, but I suspect after a while, a robot will be able to fix a simple leak, paint a wall or do simple electrical wiring jobs given the right tools. It should also be able to perform the yearly inspection of your boiler and pipes — although regulatory changes will probably take longer. Maybe eventually some simple medical acts too (intramuscular injections, changing a bandage…).
But the most impactful part will probably not be the jobs that will be replaced; it will be the things most people did not do. To find those out, just look for what people wealthy enough to pay for full-time help get that the rest of us don’t. Bringing what used to be a luxury to everyone through automation is textbook disruption.
Why would I buy pre-cooked food if I have a robot that can make me home-cooked meals? It could go to the market to get fresh products daily, or have them delivered. It could clean the kitchenware and take out the trash.
Also, we all have those small imperfections in our homes that we don’t fix because they are not worth the time. That small defect that should be painted over, that slightly moldy sealant that should be replaced. A robot could vacuum and change your sheets daily if you want it to.
Oh, and of course I think robots could save lives too. One obvious way being calling 911 and performing resuscitation if you have a cardiac arrest. I also think having robots at home can help the elderly stay out of nursing care longer if they want to.
In general, I am extremely enthusiastic about home robotics. I want to “live in Star Wars” — well, the peaceful part of it. I know it is likely to make me underestimate the issues it could cause and the difficulty in making it happen.
Like AI, this is a field where predicting anything beyond a few years is very hard. There are many unsolved problems to achieve all this, and the order in which they will be solved is not obvious. However, I think it is worth trying to anticipate these changes.