Standing at a nonthreatening four feet and weighing about 95 pounds, the C-3PO wanna-be can move around the house, flipping light switches, opening doors and doing simple tasks at tables and benches.

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"We've been asked by service providers to see what we could do with a box in the home--ways to move music around the house, set up mobile units, or establish virtual private networks between home and business, " said Dan Sheinman , Cisco's senior vice president for corporate development.

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The technology could allow users to move huge, high-definition video streams around the house with ease.

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The maneuvers by McConnell and Boehner suggest a path forward if repeated, according to Zelizer, because if GOP leaders continue not to obstruct Democrats as they try to move forward with legislation, that could help bring around tea party Republicans in the House.

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This year, around 40m Americans a wagon train the size of Spain will move house.

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