Video of Anybots robot using a Roomba

Yes, by the end of the clip you see a person in the back with VR goggles on.

That's what I was thinking - it looked excited to get a new toy, then frustrated by the packaging. We've all been there.

It's also an interesting reminder that something we take for granted as simple - opening a cardboard box - can be ridiculously complex for something that's not human... even if it's remotely controlled, let alone autonomous.

Just learn how to build big software systems. This might be as simple as a usb camera in a linux box with a serial port connection to some motor controller. That is actually really complicated, but all the components are pretty cheap.

If you can get a wifi streaming webcam with tele-operated control, you have the basic components of a PackBot. It's not rugged, or self balancing with arms, but it's there.

One mistake aspiring roboticists make is thinking that robotics is something different. Actually it's just a lot of mechanical, software, electrical, and systems engineers working together. Autonomy algorithms for robotics are certainly domain specific, but the skills needs have broad application - meaning most coders have them.