] PITTSBURGH -- Picture a robot that sets the table, serves
] dinner and clears everything away when the family is
] finished eating. Or a washing machine that not only
] cleans clothes but also presses and folds them -- and
] sews missing buttons. Or an obedient shopping cart that
] lugs groceries up the stairs.
]
] These scenarios may seem to be straight out of Star Wars
] or The Jetsons. But in labs around the globe, researchers
] are devising a slacker's paradise in which loyal servants
] and other brainy machines tackle mundane chores, freeing
] us up for more fulfilling activities.

Soft story, but the folks referenced or quoted in the article are doing signifincant work. Google on "RoboCup", "Maja Mataric", or "Manuela Veloso" to get to the source.

Robot science puts on a friendly face 'Jetsons' future faces obstacles