Usually, the tech magazines from 50+ years ago got things wrong, predicting crazy, impractical devices to make home care easier (for women). Well in 1959, RCA and Mechanix Illustrated got it right.

Behold, the “Mechanical Maid.” It “cleans the floors at the push of a button, returns to niche, readies itself for next job.” And while its shape is a boxier than a Roomba, they got the height part right. It’s not just a vacuum cleaner with a Lost in Space Robot head/gumball machine stuck on top. [Modern Mechanix Thanks Charles!]