MobileRobots, which in its dozen-year history has sold thousands of mobile surveillance bots to factories and businesses, is now trying to repurpose its Patrolbot as a home assistant. I could almost take the company seriously if it wasn't for "Brewskibot", one of three chuckle-worthy bots being introduced today. According to the release, "BrewskiBot brings up to 2 six-packs in its mobile frig." The accompany photo (shown here) illustrates this point all too clearly. It's really one of MobileRobots' rather homely Patrolbots with a miniature Koolatron fridge stacked on top of it. The fake eyes that someone glued on the fridge door only add to the hilarity.

It's not that these robots aren't smart. They can navigate your home on their own, follow you around, avoid obstacles, be operated via remote control and over the Internet, and charge themselves. Still, the Brewskibot, Agent 007 (which has been programmed to yell "Police!" or "Freeze") and Jeeves (with its standard-issue snack track resting on top) are just too comical to be taken seriously.

If, however, you're ready to stop shopping for that Hyundai Elantra and want to automate (and lighten the mood in) your home, MobileRobots is accepting orders for holiday delivery up until Nov 8 (after that you pay a rush fee).