New Delhi, Nov. 17 -- Robot vacuums entered our homes as quiet helpers, rolling around to tackle dust while we got on with our day. But as people grow more familiar with having a small, self-driving machine navigating their living rooms, something interesting is happening. Homeowners are finding new, often unconventional ways to put robotic vacuum cleaners to work.

Frans Tollenaar, CEO of robotics firm Teqram, says this shift is natural. "Once people understand that a robot vacuum isn't just a cleaner but a mobile robot with sensors and spatial awareness, curiosity takes over," he explains. And that curiosity has led to three increasingly common, and surprisingly practical, alternative uses.

If you've ever dropped something behind a cab...