Wouldn’t it be nice to have a robot do your housework? Imagine not having to vacuum (吸尘) or clean your room! Today, many scientists and researchers are ______ robots that are becoming more and more human-like, can understand and do something in answer to human voice, and do a lot of work that is normally done by humans. In a city of the future, there may very well be robots that can make our lives ______ by doing chores (讨厌的工作) that we may not like doing.

Today, scientists and researchers are making great progress in the ______ of these “smart” robots. One of the first “smart” robots ever built was named ASIMO, a robot ______ by Honda! A robot who ______ very much like a human, and was built to help people, ______ those who are in wheelchairs or disabled.

A different type of robot, which you may not ______ a “smart” robot, is a popular vacuum cleaner called the “Roomba”. A Roomba is a small, round vacuum cleaner that, once put on the floor, will vacuum the whole floor twice, to ______ it is very clean. It will avoid objects on the way and won’t hit into walls. ______ a Roomba isn’t quite human-like, it is one of the first robots of its kind ______ finish a human task by itself.