Even a small robot knows where to sit.
A Place by the Shelf
Grandmother Lan had prepared a place for Doti beside the shelf.
She had chosen a soft blue mat and set it near the socket, where the little robot dog could be charged. The mat was far enough from the doorway that nobody would trip over it.
“There,” she said. “You’ll be comfortable.”
Doti stood on the mat. A small light glowed on his chest.
Ming, her grandson, knelt beside him and pressed a button near his collar.
“Sit, Doti.”
Doti sat.
“He learns quickly,” Grandmother Lan said.
“He already knows that one.”
“Then he’s taught me quickly.”
Ming laughed and helped her carry a tray to the low table. When they turned back, Doti had left the mat. He was sitting beside Grandmother Lan’s stool.
“Oh,” she said. “Perhaps the mat is too close to the shelf.”
She picked it up and moved it a little farther out.
“Doti, sit.”
Doti crossed the room and sat on the mat.
“That’s better,” she said.
Grandmother Lan went to her stool and lowered herself onto it. Doti waited for a moment, then stood, crossed the room, and sat beside her again.
Somewhere Else
Ming crouched beside the robot.
“Was there something wrong with the mat?” Grandmother Lan asked.
“I don’t think so.”
“Perhaps he prefers the floor.”
Ming ran his hand over the mat. “It is rather soft.”
Grandmother Lan picked it up and placed it beside her stool. She pointed to the middle.
“Sit, Doti.”
Doti took two small steps and sat down. One front paw landed on the mat. The other remained on the floor.
“He’s using half of it,” Ming said.
“Perhaps that’s enough for him.”
Grandmother Lan reached for her cup. As she lifted it, her sleeve brushed a book from the table. She bent to pick it up, but Doti was sitting just where she meant to put her foot.
“Wait there,” she told him.
Doti stayed while Ming retrieved the book.
“I like him close,” Grandmother Lan said, “but I don’t want to step on his paw.”
Ming looked at the little robot, then at the space between the stool and the table.
“We could try another place.”
He moved Doti to the other side of the room. Doti sat until Grandmother Lan stood to fetch her glasses. Then he got up and followed her.
When she stopped by the shelf, Doti sat beside her.
Grandmother Lan looked down.
“Are you helping me find them?”
A blue light blinked on his chest.
“My glasses are on my head, aren’t they?”
Ming smiled. “Yes.”
“I thought he knew.”
A Better Position
Ming checked the controls on his phone.
“He’s set to stay near the person he’s keeping company,” he said.
“That explains the shelf.”
“And the stool.”
Grandmother Lan looked at the mat on the floor.
“I thought I’d chosen his place for him.”
“You did choose a good one for charging.”
She considered the space beside her stool.
“Can he sit close without sitting on my foot?”
“We can try.”
Ming moved the table a little to the left. Grandmother Lan shifted her stool so she could still reach her cup. Then she placed the mat beside the stool, leaving a clear space in front of her feet.
Doti walked over and sat with both front paws on the mat.
Grandmother Lan stood, took one step, and sat down again. Her shoes had room.
“That will do,” she said.
Doti’s light blinked.
“Do you agree?” she asked.
Ming looked at the phone. “I think that means his battery is getting low.”
“Then he agrees it’s time for a rest.”
They moved the mat back near the socket while Doti charged. Ming stayed for another cup of tea, and Grandmother Lan told him that the little dog had already found her glasses on his first visit.
“I found them,” Ming said.
“Doti showed me where to stand.”
Beside the Bench
When Ming left, Grandmother Lan carried her book to the stool. Doti’s battery was full, so she unplugged him and set him on the floor.
He crossed the room and sat beside her.
She read a page, then rested her hand on his head. The surface was smooth beneath her palm. Doti made a small sound and lifted his face.
“Is that a thank you?” she asked.
He made the sound again.
“I’ll take it as one.”
A little later, she stood to fetch another book. Doti followed her to the shelf and sat on the blue mat.
Grandmother Lan looked down.
“You did remember it.”
She chose a book and returned to her stool. Doti followed and sat beside her again, a little farther from her feet this time.
Grandmother Lan looked at the mat by the shelf, then at Doti.
“I believe you’re right,” she said.
She fetched the mat and placed it beside the stool.
Doti stood while she straightened one corner. Then he sat on it, facing her.
“There. We both have a place.”
Grandmother Lan opened her book. Doti’s light blinked once, and she reached down to touch his head.
After a while, she turned a page. Doti stayed where he was.
Then she stood to put the kettle on.
His little motor hummed. Grandmother Lan looked at the mat, then at the dog beside her feet.
“We may need another one for the kitchen,” she said.
Doti followed her through the doorway.
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