How we research home robots

What “Researched, not tested” means

Every guide carries a label near the top. Today it says Researched, not tested: the page is built from published information, not from our own hands-on use. That means you won't find claims of first-hand testing, invented measurements or made-up owner stories on this site. We don't publish star ratings or scores, because we don't yet have a documented scoring system or hands-on evidence to support them.

When we do get hands-on time with a robot, that page will say where it ran, for how long, what we measured and how, and the label will change. Until then, the label stays.

Where our facts come from

We prefer the highest source available for each fact and link the ones we rely on under “Sources” on every page. If a fact can't be verified, we leave it out or say plainly that it's unconfirmed. We never copy competitors' wording.

How we check prices

• AUD at Australian retailers. We quote prices Australians can actually pay, from local stores, and say which store.
• Labelled. Each price is marked as a sale price, RRP or list price, because robot prices swing a lot during sales.
• Dated. Every page shows when prices were checked, and we only change that date when the price was re-checked.
• Consistent. A price in a table, the intro, the FAQ and the homepage should match; when one changes, we update them together.
• Overseas prices are flagged. For robots not sold here, such as most humanoids, we give the overseas price in its own currency and say it isn't an Australian price.

How we handle news and trackers

Humanoid and companion robot news moves fast and is full of claims. Our trackers and news explainers follow a few rules:

• Confirmed vs reported. We say whether something comes from the company itself, from a news report, or from a single unconfirmed source.
• Company claims are claims. Performance figures from a maker's own demo are described as the maker's figures, not facts we've checked.
• The Australian angle first. Can you buy it here, what would it cost, who supports it, and what's only a demo.
• Living pages are updated. Trackers show the date they were last checked and change when the news does.

See the humanoid tracker and our monthly humanoid news for how this looks in practice.

Health, aged care and disability pages

Some of our readers are choosing robots for a parent, a child or themselves because of age, illness or disability. On those pages we give general information, not medical, clinical, legal or funding advice, and we never suggest a robot replaces care, a personal alarm or human contact. We point to qualified people (occupational therapists, GPs, assessors) and to official sources such as the NDIS and My Aged Care, and we link the evidence behind any claim about outcomes, including its limits.

Affiliate links and independence

Some links, mostly to Amazon AU, earn us a commission if you buy, at no extra cost to you. Pages with affiliate links say so at the top. Affiliate links don't decide what we recommend: picks are based on the evidence and the criteria each guide states, and we list other retailers where they're useful. Brands can't pay for a review or a better placing. Full details are in our affiliate disclosure.

How AI fits in

Domestic Robot uses AI tools to research specs, check prices, draft pages and run checks such as broken links and missing dates. A person is responsible for what's published: our editor, Christian Ganaban, reviews every new batch of pages and approves it before it goes live. Our presenter Dex, who appears in our videos and social posts, is AI-generated, and we label that content as AI.

Corrections and updates

If you spot a wrong price, spec or claim, email [email protected] with the page link and what needs fixing. We check every report, fix the page if needed and update its “Updated” date. We also revisit pages when a model launches, Australian availability changes, a price moves materially or a product is discontinued. Brands and retailers can use the same address about product information or review units.

Sources

• NDIS Our Guidelines: assistive technology (example of a primary source we use)
• ACCC: consumer guarantees