The paranoid folks over at the Layer 8 blog are worried about killer robots like the Terminator, I'm much more excited about robots like Rosie the maid from The Jetsons.

My dream robot might be closer to reality with the announcement today of the Readybot, made by a bunch of Silicon Valley engineers. The prototype device looks like a white enamel box with wheels, two human-sized arms and chrome styling, that can do such tasks as picking up cups, bowls, plates and dumps food into the trash and can load the dishwasher. The robot can also scrape and scrub countertops, and grab custom tools to scrub, sponge or get around the kitchen.

The aim of the project, Readybot's makers say, it so see how much of an average kitchen a robot can clean. The group has issued its "Readybot Robot Challenge", a non-profit effort similar to the DARPA Grand Challenge robot car race.

Check out the group's preview video to see Rosie, errr, Readybot, in action.