Raising children by remote control ...

I appreciate technology, and I appreciate getting away from it once in awhile, except for computers, which I would prefer to take with me most everywhere if I could, so why do I find this disturbing ...

New robots aim to connect users -- or help them spy on one another from afar

A new device by iRobot Corp. resembles the company's disc-shaped Roomba vacuum cleaner but has a webcam bulging from the top.

It is designed to enable parents on a business trip to feel they are almost at home. For example, a parent could remotely send the wheeled robot into a bedroom, where the children could open a book in front of the robot's camera. The parent could then read the story aloud and watch and hear the kids' reactions. The family could also converse.

The robot can be controlled from within the home or remotely, using a Web connection to a home wireless network. The user can operate the robot with either a joystick or a computer installed with iRobot-supplied software.