Remote Control Car to Do Something

Fetch beer...
But seriously, a device which could:-
"pop up stairs and get my mobile phone, it's on the bedside cabinet"
Would be very handy for those people who would otherwise have to get off a wheel chair, onto a stair lift, off the stairlift onto another wheel chair, retrieve the phone and then reverse the process.
Del

Guard duty. Integrate the robot with sound/optical/infrared/vibration sensors placed around the perimeter of the property so that if an intruder is detected (2-legged, 4-legged, burrowing, crawling...) the guard duty robot triangulates on the intruder and goes to investigate. Equip the robot with a TV camera so the intruder can be recorder and identified. Maybe a weapon, too, if you're paranoid.

_{/Darn, that's the 3rd Girl Scout shot this week. Gotta get that fixed or there won't be any left to take my order for Thin Mints.}

Oh, just found your previous post.

http://cr4.globalspec.com/thread/67665/Indoor-Navigation-Autonomous-Robot-with-Gripper

It depends on the remote control car (be it a cheap toy one or an expensive modular RC vehicle) and your budget.

Is this remote controlled car going to be controlled by a person, or self-roving (controlled by an onboard microcontroller)?

Cannot go wrong mounting a wireless camera to it, they are so cheap now days.

My suggestions, cat toy or how about disassemble and use parts to make a submarine or robot.

My dangerous suggestion, Robotwars.

My more helpful suggestion, indoor maze navigation (dress the robot up as a mouse, build a themed mouse maze on the floor with cheese in the middle and get it to pickup and return the cheese to the start). An ambitious, but scalable project. Fun for the designer and the people watching!