Product: Robot: Locomotion
Phone Home   (+2)  [vote for, against]
Phone comes "home" to docking station by itself

Always before moving off to the docking station the phone warns: Phone leaving to recharge now! If it hears "No!" or "Stay put!" it moves to standby state. In which case it warns you of the time that it still has, before the battery runs out.

This phone has 6 legs, it can climb stairs, and up the side of a shelf closet, and dock itself back in place for recharging.

Any change releases the standby command, and it will ask: Can I go recharge now? If there is no reply, it will warn its usual warning, and go on its way.

If when put in standby, there is an alarm clock set, it will warn you: Not enough power for next alarm alert at SO AND SO, should I turn the phone off, and it will automatically turn back on at the alarm time, or should I go recharge the phone? Or neither?

If its not sure, it does nothing. Any action taken, it warns you of it in advance:

"OK, turning phone off now. It will automatically turn back on at SO AND SO as set by the alarm clock."
-- pashute, Oct 30 2013

Cordless, to me! Cordless_2c_20To_20Me
[theircompetitor, Oct 30 2013]

[+] both for the idea as innocently intended and for the hilarity that would ensue about an hour after the OS was hacked.
-- Alterother, Oct 30 2013


Well on'ce you've gone this far, if there's not enough power for the next alarm, it should go charge then come back to its previous location before the alarm goes off.
-- scad mientist, Oct 30 2013


"Sir, if you'll not be needing me, I'll close down for a while"
-- lurch, Oct 30 2013


[compete's] 'Cordless, to me!' (seal ink) is a bit different, and takes this idea a bit further, having the phone finding you and following you, or coming over to you on demand.

A less exotic and more doable Phone Home product could have a very small rail system along the walls, bringing the phone (and other things) to the docking station and to the requester. That will be my next post, next week...

[scad] the problem is, that you don't want to wake up in the middle of the night to the sound of crashing glass and falling pans, when the phone (like my cat) bumps into things. Its OK, when you gave the phone an OK to go there. On second thought - it could ask if you wish it to come back. And it will climb back to its place.

[Alter], the hacking and viral vids about it, will just make sales better!
-- pashute, Oct 31 2013



random, halfbakery