Robots come in many shapes and sizes. But most have one thing in common. They are built to help people, Lately engineers have been developing new kinds of robots. These high-tech machines are designed to lend a hand everywhere from hotels to disaster areas.
"Robots help people by making their lives easier, safer, and more fun, "says engineer Omar.
Since November, a robot named Pepper has been on the job at Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. When guests have questions or need directions, they can ask Pepper. They can also use the robot's touch screen to find the information they need. Pepper is able to talk with guests and make them happy with stories too. It can even tell what kind of mood they are in.
"Pepper provides our guests with information in an exciting and new way." says the hotel manager Donald Bowman.
For a kid, being in the hospital can be boring and even scary. But a small robot called NAO is helping to make hospital stays easier. It was designed to keep people company.
A Tennessee doctor named Phil Parker bought a NAO robot three years ago. He programmed(为…….编制程序)it to talk to and play with young patients. He brought it to hospitals to help sick kids. When kids get medical tests, NAO explains what is going on. The robot also reads to kids and plays games with them like Rock, Scissors ,Cloth(石头剪刀布).
"The robot gets many kids to smile for the first time since they were in hospital," Parker says.
Other robots are designed to help to save people in dangerous areas. For example, disaster areas can be full of broken stones and other dangers. Engineers in Japan are planning to build a robot called E2-DR to go into those areas and search for people who are hurt.
