As we peer into the future, does our fate lay in the non-existent hands of an omnipresent A.I. like HAL-9000 or possibly in a physical, robotic member of the family like the Jetson's Rosie? Once a far-off fantasy, the sci-fi tipping point for robotic companionship now seems to be a quickly approaching reality.

Several visionaries are trying to hook us into their version as the competitive smart home landscape heats up. The most recent attempt? Robot Butler: a personal assistant, valet and majordomo all wrapped in one polycarbonate package.

Overwhelming the home with options and control, Robot Butler doesn't do half steps; it's designed to take over every aspect of your life and integrate it into one efficient, anticipatory system. Its software learns from interaction to make decisions for you over time. It updates automatically and is able to order new accessories for itself. It adapts to new products in your home, connected or otherwise. Future firmware updates even hint at a babysitter mode in which Robot Butler could keep a watchful eye over the children and a handyman function that would allow it to compete to find you the right tool.

While smart home platforms are forging partner alliances to cater to a wide range of products, the team behind Robot Butler made a risky move in developing their own software system. The entire product reacts primarily to vocal commands through speech recognition or alternate input to its chest touchscreen. Because of its proprietary nature, we don't see it integrating with other smart home platforms or connected devices any time soon. Instead, Robot Butler's intent is to be your one-stop solution for a connected future. Take that for what you will.

Image: Robot Butler

There is no MSRP for Robot Butler at time of this writing, only a home-testing beta program for certain elites (think Google Glass). Access to the beta program is limited, but there is a sign up at TheRobotButler.com with units shipping as early as this week. Robot Butler is definitely an interesting, if not complicated, attempt at a wired home solution... but we're going to hold out for one that can transform.