Smart on-demand storage for robots

Abstract

Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, obtaining first, second, and third data respectively from first, second, and third physical robots operating in a smart community, obtaining a request message from the third physical robot, the request message comprising a request by the third physical robot to be stored at a location; and responsive to obtaining the request message: determining whether the first physical robot incudes a first storage space sufficiently large to contain the third physical robot; determining whether the second physical robot incudes a second storage space sufficiently large to contain the third physical robot; in a first case that the first physical robot does include a first storage space sufficiently large to contain the third physical robot and that the second physical robot does not include a second storage space sufficiently large to contain the third physical robot, selecting as a selected physical robot the first physical robot; in a second case that the first physical robot does not include a first storage space sufficiently large to contain the third physical robot and that the second physical robot does include a second storage space sufficiently large to contain the third physical robot, selecting as the selected physical robot the second physical robot; and directing the selected physical robot to move to the location of the third physical robot to provide storage of the third physical robot within the selected physical robot. Other embodiments are disclosed.