The invention relates to an autonomous domestic appliance (1) in the form of a floor cleaning robot or a lawn mower robot with a platform (3) which comprises means of locomotion (4), environmental sensors (5a, 5b, 5c) for detecting properties of the environment of the autonomous domestic appliance (1) and a control unit (6). The environmental sensors (5a, 5b, 5c) are connected to the control unit (6), and the control unit (6) is designed for autonomous movement of the domestic appliance (1) by actuating the means of locomotion (4) as a function of the detected environmental properties and for permanent travel in an area for carrying out its actual domestic activity. The autonomous domestic appliance (1) has a communication unit (7) for establishing a communication link with a remotely arranged service unit (2) and, in addition to its actual domestic activity, is designed to detect the need of help of a person as a function of the environmental properties.
