A child with a new cochlear implant works on auditory rehabilitation exercises at home in Toulouse, France, aided by Pepper, ...

Robot assistants are on the way, but the latest models might need a human teleoperator to take over certain tasks by looking and listening inside your home.

Robot companies are racing toward a breakout year, but they'll have to confront some fundamental problems before making bigger promises. Jesse Orrall (he/him/his) is a Senior Video Producer for CNET.