Robotics company iRobot (NASDAQ: IRBT) has lofty goals for its Ava robot: the company plans to ship Ava to shopping malls and hospitals in the United States to help humans in everyday tasks.

The robotics firm plans to begin pilot tests this year for Ava to help shoppers buy merchandise. Ava could let shoppers browse on the web to do comparisons shopping and look at reviews online. Shoppers can then decide on getting the item they want right there on the store.

"Brick and mortar stores have been at a disadvantage," iRobot CEO Colin Angle told the Boston Herald. "They haven't figured out how to inform the customer at the shelf. People can touch and feel products, but they're relying on their own judgment, without the judgment of others."

But iRobot isn't just planning to make Ava a personal shopping assistant. The company is looking to move robots in other business areas. Ava is a multipurpose robot that has an iPad or other tablet computer for a head and it can move autonomously through buildings at human walking speed.

"Ava is our new platform that can build maps of its environment, and is really good at moving around crowded areas - a retail store, an office building, a hospital," said Angle. "All of these are targets for Ava."

iRobot, most known for its Roomba vacuum cleaners, is looking to find new markets for its robots. The company recently announced that it would reorganize into three business units: home, military and new emerging technologies unit which will work with Ava. The company is testing new partners in retail, health care and security.

In healthcare, Ava could be used by doctors in teleconferencing. iRobot has a partnership with InTouch Health, a company that enables doctors to treat stroke victims through their computer screens. InTouch already has robots with video capabilities installed in smaller hospitals. The problem with these robots is that they still have to be controlled by a doctor. Ava could be dispatched to a right room by a single tap on its iPad head to free doctors from mundane controls. Ava's mapping system based on Microsoft's 3D motion sensor enables the robot to avoid hitting obstacles on the way to a patient's room.

Ava could also be used for security purposes as the robot can operate autonomously by using a map of the building to patrol. Businessmen can also use the robots in teleconferencing if they can't make it to the boardroom in time.

And one day if the price of the robot comes down for consumers to afford it, Ava can be used as a personal maid just like the Jetson's Rosie.