Got chased by a Roomba in a hotel lobby and it made me think

I was at a Marriott in Austin last week and this Roomba kept circling me while I waited for my ride. It would stop, look at me with its little sensor, then zip off only to come back two minutes later. Has anyone else had a robot appliance make you feel weirdly watched or judged in a public space?

2 comments

2 Comments

michaeltorres1mo ago

Think about it this way. That Roomba wasnt trying to watch you, it was literally stuck in a loop because your legs and shoes messed up its navigation sensors. Hotel floors are a nightmare for those things, all the glossy tile and different lighting messes with the IR sensors. Ive seen one straight up try to clean the same spot for 20 minutes because of a weird shadow. It probably kept coming back because it kept losing its path and resetting, not because it was interested in you.

elliot_gibson271mo ago

Privacy settings are weird on those early models even without cameras.