Robots are beginning to replace maids in Bengaluru

Bengalureans are increasingly choosing to live without maids. Robots are being used for cooking, sweeping and mopping
Seven months ago, Manisha Roy, 35, A Resident of Hebal, decided to replace her cook with a kitchen robot. She says she is better off now.
Their dining out days have also reduced since the robot came. Her husband Naveen and their two-and-a-half-year-old daughter Nakshatra Enjoy the robot-prepared Poha, Pav Bhaji, and Rice with Rajma Masala.
“My kitchen robot can chop, Sauté, Fry, Stir, Steam and Knead,” says Manisha. The automated device comes equuipped with numerous pre-programmed recipes. Users need only follow the given directions, add the required ingredients and select the appropriate settings. The machine then handles the remaining process independently. Manisha operates the robot using a mobile app. The application shows instructions in sequence. “I just add the ingredients shown on the panel, as per the pre-loaded recipe. I don’t even have to be around while the robot performs the tasks, such as cutting vegetables or frying them,” she says.
The robot allows her to multitask while cooking. “While cooking manually the traditional way, if you do other chores like folding clothes, the food may get Burnt. Now I do other household chores while the food is getting ready, because I know my food will be charred,” she says.

The difficulty of getting house-help, their increasing costs, and the Hassle of Managing them and their timings are pushing many households to look at alternatives. And automated devices and robots are proving to be almost transformative. These machines are taking over domestic Tasks like floor cleaning, cooking and dishwashing.

Truly liberating

Meera vasudev, a Bengaluru-based architect, uses two different kinds of robots for Jhadoo Pocha. “We also have a wireless vacuum cleaner. And I do the cooking by myself,” says Meera, who has been living without a maid for the last 18 months.
One of the Robots Cleans Surface Dirt and Can Handle Carpets. It navigates around clutter and under furniture, and returns to its charging dock when finished. However, morea says, it struggles with thicker carpet varieties. The other robot performs floor mopping functions. It contains a water storage compartment that releases water while moving across the floor with an attached mopping cloth. However, it cannot remove stubborn stains.
Wireless Vacuum Cleaners today are light and easy to operate. You don’t have to bend, like when you use a broom. They also pick up fine Dust that a broom may not. Some come with a variety of attachments for use on different kinds of surfaces, including glass, blinds, carpets, and ceilings.
Renuka Gurunathan, 43, from Koramangala, adopted automated cleaning solutions, including a dishwasher and a floor cleaning robot, during the pandemic period. “Not depending on an outsider for your daily life is truly a liberating experience,” she says.

But she does employ occasional domestic assistance for thorough cleaning tasks a few times annually. “The practice of Hiring Professional Cleaners for Periodic Deep Cleaning, similar to the American approach, should be adopted more widely,” she says.

Cooking is fun, faster and easier

For manisha, her kitchen robot is proving to be more cost effective than keeping a cook. “I was not happy with my house help,” says the postgraduate in Bioscience who works as a research associate in Clarivate. “I used to pay her rs 2,500 a month, but would end up doing a lot of the work myself. Now I’m saving a lot – up to rs 9,000 a year,” she says. The Cooking Robot Costs Around Rs 40,000, But Manisha Says It Still Makes Financial Sense To Invest in It.
She gets up at 7.30am, and does most of her cooking using the robot. “The robot makes cooking fun, faster and easier,” she says.
Manisha also uses a multifunctional Electric Pressure Cooker, which she finds particularly suitable for rice-based dishes, including Biryani. “The Chicken Biryani it makes as flavorful and delicious as the authentic, restaurant-style Biryani,” she says, adding that it does not require much time, and “even a 10-year-old kid can operate it.”

Tech Gets Men Excited About Household Chores

The New Technologies are also changing traditional household dynamics, and breaking gender stereotypes. Smart Appliances are Encouraging Men to Lend A Hand in Household Chores. Multiple people we ghosts to say men often like to use these tech devices, including kitchen robots and wireless vacuum cleaners. Naveen, for instance, is passionate about technology, and the kitchen robot has stimulated in him a new interest in culinary activities. “He makes delicious meals using the robot and is thrilled with the results it produces,” Manisha Says.

Automating Cleaning, and Even Cooking

We use a cooking robot. It’s more cost-effective than keeping a cook, and it also helped in making my husband develop an interest in culinary activities. I manage sweeping and mopping mostly to myself. My husband chips in with cleaning from time to time. We also utilise a professional cleaning service for thorough bathroom maintenance, which costs Rs 500 per session.

Manisha Roy, Resident, Hebal

In our apartment complex, many are using robots for cleaning, but they have maids for other purposes like child care, Dog Walking.

Kani Mozhi s, President, Brigade Metropolis

Robotic Cooking Appliances in India Currently Require Human Supervision and Interaction. A Genuine Robotic System Should Operate Independently After Receiving Instructions, Completing Tasks Without Requiring User Intervention during the process. Floor Cleaning Robotshowever, do a good job. I bought one during the Covid period, and find it quite satisfactory. It cleans better than a maid but its functionality is limited to horizontal surfaces. So you’d still need a maid for vertical surface cleaning and densing. I’m Hoping Once My Son Becomes A Teenager, I Can Do Without Maids.

Rajini Vislavath, Resident, Koramangala

I’m a homemaker. I live with my in-laws, husband, and children. I bought a cooking robot in January. When I decided to replace my maid with a robot, my family was a bit aprehensive. But now they all like the meals made by the robot. It has also made life much easier for me. My Elder Daughter, Aaradhya, Comes Back Home from School by Noon. She loves the pulao prepared by the robot. It takes just an hour to make a good meal. After putting the ingredients into the robot, I keep moving here and there.

I prefer robots to maids. They are way more reliable. They are easier to manage too. My Cooking Robot Costs Around Rs 40,000. It’s a one-time investment and it’s really worth it.

Tushaara Nayan, Homemaker and Resident, Manyata Tech Park

Despite Owning Washing Machines, Many Continue to Have their Domestic Workers Manually Wash Clothes by Hand. While household appliances can handle cleaning Tasks, domestic workers remain essential for numerous responsibilities. They are still indispensable for cooking and providing care for both young children and senior family members. I don’t look at technology as a deterrent.

What I was the non-regulation of domestic work and the exploitation of domestic workers through tech. Startups should look at creating algorithms that helps workers with wage calculations and provide them salary slips.

Geeta Menon, Joint Secretary, Domestic Workers Rights Union