Sci-fi fans have long dreamed of having a robotic assistant like R2D2 or Rosie the housecleaning robot in The Jetsons. And while some of the droid’s functions may be a few years off, a new generation of helpful robots have arrived and can act as everything from personal assistants to camera operators. While they may be designed to do different jobs, a handful of the robots featured at the RoboBusiness conference in Boston have one thing in common – they are designed to follow their leader. Scroll down for videos A robot called Budgee is designed to follow people to carry heavy items, such as shopping (illustrated). It is able to carry 50lbs (23kg) of shopping and follows at a comfortable distance from its owner
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Following robots were on show at the RoboBusiness conference in Boston
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They include drones that autonomously follow their owner and film them too
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A robot called Budgee follows behind its owner to carry heavy shopping
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On sale next year, the robotic assistant could help elderly people
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The droid will be able to tail its owners at speeds of up to 2.4mph (3.9kph) and will send them a text if it can’t keep up
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Following drones are also useful in industrial settings. Harvey, a bot made by Harvest Automation, can work in groups to tend plants in nurseries
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Other examples of following robots not at the show can be seen in China
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There, robots follow paths in themed restaurants to act as waiters
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For example,  robotic waiters carry food to hungry diners by following lines painted on floors in restaurants in @placeholder.