So, a robot walks into a nursing home...

A 4-foot-tall droid named Pepper -- preprogrammed with hundreds of jokes -- is one of two robots now working at a nursing home in Roseville, Minnesota, entertaining residents and helping monitor their health. The big picture: Household robots are growing in utility and ubiquity, and this latest use seems to blend two trends we've noted: The availability of humanoid robots as party guests and entertainers and their use as companions and health monitors for the elderly. Driving the news: As part of a study by the University of Minnesota Duluth, two robots (designed by SoftBank Robotics) have been deployed at a nursing home owned by Monarch Healthcare Management.