In the not-so-distant past, when people imagined the future, they envisaged a world dominated by technology - where cars zipped through the sky and robots cooked us breakfast - and let's face it, they weren't far off the mark.

Now, the average American spends 24 hours a week online, Technology Review reports. So, even if our use of technology plateaus (which, let's face it, is pretty unlikely), we'll still have spent around a seventh of our lives online.

And while it's no secret that the digital revolution has its downsides, it's also improved our lives for the better too.

Case in point, the Hexa robot, which will literally keep a houseplant alive for you.

[[imagecaption|| Credit: Tianqi Sun]]

Now, in case your memory of high school biology needs refreshing, for a plant to thrive, it must be able to photosynthesize, and this is a process which requires three things: light, water and carbon dioxide.

And two of these things must be given to our green friends by us.

So, to ensure that your houseplant gets as much sunlight as it needs, Hexa will chase the sun for you. Pretty neat, eh?

Hexa's inventor, Tianqi Sun, explained on his blog that while he initially designed the robot to be multipurpose, when he saw a withered and dead sunflower in his home, he decided to turn it into the ultimate plant caretaker.

This is the hilarious moment Will Smith tried (and failed) to flirt with Sophia the robot: 

"Plants are passive. No matter if they are being cut, burned or pulled from the earth, they hold still and take whatever is happening to them. They have the fewest degrees of freedom among all the creatures in nature," he wrote.

The Hexa robot also functions a little like a robot dog, so if you're not in a position to look after an actual pet, it will not only care for your plant but play with you - sort of.

Here's Hexa giving a person a double high five:

[[imagecaption|| Credit: Tianqi Sun]]

Don't worry if you're the kind of person who's likely to forget to water your plant, either. Hexa will make sure that your plant never goes without by doing a little dance to let you know the time to water it has come.

[[imagecaption|| Credit: Tianqi Sun]]

Hexa's legs are pretty agile too, and it has been designed to handle sudden drops and to basically move around anything.

The robot also has a built-in camera with night vision, so could double as a security guard if you hear a noise outside late at night and don't want to personally investigate. Oh, and it's got WiFi and USB ports. Obviously.

However, Hexa does come with a hefty price tag and currently retails for a minimum of $949.

In the not-so-distant past, when people imagined the future, they envisaged a world dominated by technology - where cars zipped through the sky and robots cooked us breakfast - and let's face it, they weren't far off the mark.

Now, the average American spends 24 hours a week online, Technology Review reports. So, even if our use of technology plateaus (which, let's face it, is pretty unlikely), we'll still have spent around a seventh of our lives online.

And while it's no secret that the digital revolution has its downsides, it's also improved our lives for the better too.

Case in point, the Hexa robot, which will literally keep a houseplant alive for you.

[[imagecaption|| Credit: Tianqi Sun]]

Now, in case your memory of high school biology needs refreshing, for a plant to thrive, it must be able to photosynthesize, and this is a process which requires three things: light, water and carbon dioxide.

And two of these things must be given to our green friends by us.

So, to ensure that your houseplant gets as much sunlight as it needs, Hexa will chase the sun for you. Pretty neat, eh?

Hexa's inventor, Tianqi Sun, explained on his blog that while he initially designed the robot to be multipurpose, when he saw a withered and dead sunflower in his home, he decided to turn it into the ultimate plant caretaker.

This is the hilarious moment Will Smith tried (and failed) to flirt with Sophia the robot: 

"Plants are passive. No matter if they are being cut, burned or pulled from the earth, they hold still and take whatever is happening to them. They have the fewest degrees of freedom among all the creatures in nature," he wrote.

The Hexa robot also functions a little like a robot dog, so if you're not in a position to look after an actual pet, it will not only care for your plant but play with you - sort of.

Here's Hexa giving a person a double high five:

[[imagecaption|| Credit: Tianqi Sun]]

Don't worry if you're the kind of person who's likely to forget to water your plant, either. Hexa will make sure that your plant never goes without by doing a little dance to let you know the time to water it has come.

[[imagecaption|| Credit: Tianqi Sun]]

Hexa's legs are pretty agile too, and it has been designed to handle sudden drops and to basically move around anything.

The robot also has a built-in camera with night vision, so could double as a security guard if you hear a noise outside late at night and don't want to personally investigate. Oh, and it's got WiFi and USB ports. Obviously.

However, Hexa does come with a hefty price tag and currently retails for a minimum of $949.