The future has arrived in Bakersfield, and I'm not sure I'm ready for it. For nearly three hours, the conversation was nonstop at the home of Audrey and Ken Mattlin, who happen to live with several robots. There's ElliQ, who resembles a table lamp and speaks mainly to Audrey, 84, whom the robot refers to by a nickname. As in, "How did you sleep, Jelly Bean?" Goo-goo-eyed Astro looks like a short-handled vacuum cleaner with an electronic tablet for a face. He scoots around the house on wheels and follows people on command.

International crowdfunding is always risky business. Even if a project makes it to market, overseas backers usually have to pay a shipping premium. Sometimes, it's worse: today backers of Jibo's social'family robot' have been told the product's release has been cancelled in all markets except the US and Canada. The company is now preparing to issue refunds to customers in 45 countries. Jibo apparently has a hard time understanding accented English.