I love the video for Dan Mangan’s song Robots: 2 gangs settle their differences with a robot battle … then the robots actually change the lives of the gang members! Robots do change lives, for adults as much as for children. That’s why we love them. And there are new kinds of robots entering the market each year. Let this contest enlighten you about some of the robots available in 2017, and how they might improve your life, then enter to win one of 5 robots we are giving away. If you win you’ll be creating great robot memories, for you and for the robot, this summer!

What is a robot?

You may be harbouring biases or misconceptions about robots fostered by movies like “Bicentennial Man” or “iRobot.” Fun movies, but they seem to portray the ultimate robot as one that mimics humanity. My view is that the ultimate robot is a machine that acts specifically to make your life better, in a small or a big way, through the use of ingenious design, and intelligent programming code. Any robot that makes my life more fun, or lightens my workload in some predictable way, is one that I can easily love.

Here are 5 robots that need love

It’s a toss-up who will be the big winner of this contest: the people chosen to take home a robot prize, or the robot that will be placed in a loving home. I can’t list the human winners here (not until the contest is over and I have done the random draw, that is) but I can list the “robot winners,” the 5 robots that Best Buy is giving away.

3 OZOBOT Robots: they can detect lines and colours so you can control them with art. A great way to learn programming and have fun at the same time.
Wonder Workshop Wonder Packlearn how to control the robots “Dash” and “Dot” using code and great interactive apps.
Meccano M.A.X: (available later this summer at Best Buy) building on the amazing line on Meccano robots, this was a huge hit at the New York Toy Fair earlier this year and will be a highly coveted robot when it arrives in stores. But we have one for this contest, and it needs a home.

 

As you can see robots come in many shapes and sizes and each does different things. Our homes will soon have many robots: some for fun, some for doing work … and we’ll love them all. Enter now to bring one into your home this summer.

How to enter

Entering this contest is really simple, but you can only enter once. Leave a comment at the bottom of this article telling us one activity (could be household, work, school, or even play related) you wish robots could do right now. With any luck the next generation of robot designers will be inspired by these comments and start including some of these capabilities in the next generation of robots.

What you can win

At the end of the contest we will randomly choose 5 winners from all eligible comments entered on the blog. Each winner will win one of these prizes: a Meccano M.A.X, an Ozobot Bit White Starter Pack, an Ozobot Black Bit, an Ozobot Evo White, or a Wonder Workshop Wonder Pack. The total value of all of the prizes is approximately $855!

This contest runs from July 28th until August 14th.

Subscribe to the blog so you can get email notifications when new posts and new contests get added to the blog: you will never miss out on another contest!

Win a Robot Rules and Regulations

 

We frequently have many contests running at Best Buy so check out the “contests in progress” page for more great contests to enter.

 

… and I’ll end with the immortal, prophetic words of Dan Mangan: and that little voice, in the back of your mind, just wants you to know, just hopes that you know,

Robots need love too.

Martin Renaud
Editor in Chief
Martin loves working with the talented editors and writers on the Best Buy Blog as Editor-in-Chief. During his spare time he is either working on his next novel, cooking up a masterpiece in the kitchen, or adding some smart tech to his new home on Mayne Island in British Columbia.

1000 COMMENTS

  1. Cleaning the bathrooms jumps to my mind first. It’s a yucky chore so I wish robots could do it instead of me.

  2. Martin, we have 4 kids….so, with me included that’s 5 lunches every night to make.
    I’m going out on a limb and gonna say, I wish a robot could make the lunches.

    5*5=25 lunches a week…sheesh…

  3. I’d want a robot to play with my cat when I’m not around. It would be an added bonus if it cleaned the kitty litter too.

  4. I want robot a robot that assist me every time. Always tell me about my upcoming schedule and talk with me. Moreover, it should be able to complete household chores such as cooking and cleaning.

  5. I would like the robot to clean the house and do all the laundry work (ironing and folding…lol). It will get lots of love in return!

  6. cook . i dont like coming home from work and have to cook . its the last thing i want to do but needs to be done.

  7. Personally, I really wish we had “Household/Housekeeping” robots already. I’m disabled and sadly have to get help from my parents now to get some of the most basic needs met, like cooking, cleaning around the house, etc. I wish so much that the healthcare system would wake up and provide for those of us in desperate need of help, but yes, having “robots” to do just regular “chores” would be amazing. Sigh! One can dream, right?
    Thanks for the chance to win, BestBuy……..my nephews will have an awesome time with this little guy if I win.

  8. I would love to have it play with my daughter. She is 2 years old and has autism , she has panic attacks at the park and around other children. So having something around her about the same size that could possibly play patty cake and maybe help with her speech therapy would be amazing.

  9. I’d love to have a robot that cleans my apartment for me, ie washing up, cleaning windows, dusting, vacuuming (though if it did everything else I could do that bit myself LOL), tidying up, folding clothes, cooking etc

  10. I’d like a Robot to be a machine technology robot. With modern nanotech technology a person can program a robot to do literally anything. I like Virtual Reality and Cyber Space and a Robot can take you there. I’d like a Robot to guide me and in The Portal of Vision. Such is Future Technology and The Fifth Dimension. For example length, width, height, space and the future. A Robot can tell me if it’s possible to go there and live my fantasy.

  11. If he could tell me when the are some thing in my way so y dont bump on it or step on it with my 200 pounds wheel chair..

    • A telempathic (telepathic/empathic) robot would be super cool as long as it would know not to instantly react to all of your thoughts! Time delay + verbal confirmation safety features…

      A robot that could take my sibling to the washroom so I could sleep at night and not be interrupted during the day as well… waking up sometimes multiple times the night is taking its toll…

      But I could really use a MASSAGE robot (combined as a motivational & workout buddy)! Massages to help me sleep at night and different styles of massage during the day while I’m in front of the computer…

  12. I wish robots could be controlled by sign language so that people who can’t hear/talk could still control them.

    • Hi Glen,

      great idea—imagine if your robot could translate into sign; he could go everywhere you go and translate everything from TV, radio, to casual conversation. He could even translate from most spoken languages (French, English, German, Mandarin etc) into sign.

  13. Definitly household chores! I would spend much more time doing stuff I like (such as playing with robots or videogames :P)

  14. I wish robots could do stuff like R.O.B. for the NES. I’d love to play video games with a robot buddy!

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