In Japan, robots are becoming so commonplace that they aren't getting special treatment anymore. Just like we want to eat, a robot has to pull its weight if it wants to get its joints oiled now and then — and robots weigh more. Some enterprising 'bots have already filled as receptionists, and now we hear that Tondon robots are getting off the streets and into the halls of a Bali-themed, 14-story luxury apartment complex. To clean them, I mean.

Designed by Fuji Heavy Industries and Sumitomo, the Tondon features a special "Balinese" paint job (which apparently means yellow with scribbles all over it) to go with the building it works in. It does everything from carpets to gutters with its heavy-duty brush/vacuum combo. And it can navigate the 14 floors without help by way of an optical system that allows for the use of elevators. You don't have to worry about a Tondon crashing into you, though. The polite 'bot will not only warn you of its presence with vocal warnings and lights, but it has proximity sensors to help guide it out of the way if a snooty human just doesn't get the point. With four video cameras built-in, all recording to a hard drive, the Tondon can double as a witness if anything should happen to said snooty humans. Sounds a hell of a lot more reliable than the janitor at my old high school, Mr. Lewinski, who used to whisper things to the water fountain and giggle. — Kevin Hall

Fuji press release, via Pink Tentacle