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CES Was Full of Useless Robots and Machines That Don’t Work

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Re: CES Was Full of Useless Robots and Machines That Don’t Work

#121
post #5

Here's what I want robots to do: 1) Wash my dishes, dry them and put them away completely automatically. 2) Wash and dry my clothes, fold them and put them away completely automatically. These two things would save me hours of work per week. FoldiMate simply isn't even close to being good enough, but I'd be willing to spend about that much for a robot that could do #2. I can vacuum my floor by myself and greet people…

If you have small children or people who work "dirty jobs" in the household then the clothes washing robot needs to be able to detect and pre-treat stains with something like Spray 'n Wash. Otherwise the clothes don't really get clean with just a normal washing machine cycle. Inspecting and spraying each item of clothing consumes a huge amount of manual labor in my family.

Re: CES Was Full of Useless Robots and Machines That Don’t Work

#122
post #5

Here's what I want robots to do: 1) Wash my dishes, dry them and put them away completely automatically. 2) Wash and dry my clothes, fold them and put them away completely automatically. These two things would save me hours of work per week. FoldiMate simply isn't even close to being good enough, but I'd be willing to spend about that much for a robot that could do #2. I can vacuum my floor by myself and greet people…

Actually, I'm not a product designer or engineer, but I feel like I have an idea for #1, and I'm interested in doing it, even for myself. Maybe it's something like "dishwasher v2.0", I 'm not sure. I basically want a standard set of plates, bowls, cups and silverware, which is designed to work with an automated washing box that has slots (or maybe holders) for each to be deposited inside. The idea is, you use the ite…

> Lastly, it spits out the clean items either completely (or mostly) dry at the end of the process.

While you wait around it to catch plates as they are ejected? The regular dishwasher is better, because it can also double as a rack for plates and cutlery and you can just start it and do something else.

Re: CES Was Full of Useless Robots and Machines That Don’t Work

#123
post #109
post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sounds like a way to scald someone with a hack. Edit: There was a self-filling bathtube that I could program directly from the kitchen. How much do you want to bet that a US version would be networked, probably smartphone integrated?

it's not IOT.

How do you know? There needs to be some kind of connection for remote programmability. The default choice is likely something connected to the (W)LAN. From there, it's only one misconfigured firewall and a default password away from being hacked over the internet.

Re: CES Was Full of Useless Robots and Machines That Don’t Work

#124

Earlier quoted context omitted.

1) Get two dishwashers. Alternate them clean/dirty. Think of them as self-washing cabinets from sci-fi. 2) Get a laundry service or maid service. Save thousands of dollars.

https://www.remodelista.com/posts/appliances-dishwasher-draw... I've heard that's how these are used, never tried it myself.

We had some. Can't recommend them enough if you're a small family. They're also more flexible -- in a normal dishwasher you'd only put pots in the bottom rack, meaning if you've got a load of plates on you'd have to wait. Not so when either draw can be configured for anything and put on separately.

Then we moved house, and the new one had an old regular dishwasher that often doesn't quite clean bowls properly -- can't quite bring myself to chuck out a working dishwasher to get dishdrawers, but if the dishwasher breaks any time soon...

Re: CES Was Full of Useless Robots and Machines That Don’t Work

#125
post #5

Here's what I want robots to do: 1) Wash my dishes, dry them and put them away completely automatically. 2) Wash and dry my clothes, fold them and put them away completely automatically. These two things would save me hours of work per week. FoldiMate simply isn't even close to being good enough, but I'd be willing to spend about that much for a robot that could do #2. I can vacuum my floor by myself and greet people…

For #1 why not just use a dishwasher and keep the dishes in there?

If that's not acceptable, what about a dishwasher designed for keeping dishes in there?

Re: CES Was Full of Useless Robots and Machines That Don’t Work

#126
post #76

This folding robot was at least more impressive in person. https://www.theverge.com/2018/1/10/16865506/laundroid-laundr...

Do you work for them? The video on that page never shows it successfully folding anything. The narrator gave it a t-shirt and it failed.

Re: CES Was Full of Useless Robots and Machines That Don’t Work

#127
post #5

Here's what I want robots to do: 1) Wash my dishes, dry them and put them away completely automatically. 2) Wash and dry my clothes, fold them and put them away completely automatically. These two things would save me hours of work per week. FoldiMate simply isn't even close to being good enough, but I'd be willing to spend about that much for a robot that could do #2. I can vacuum my floor by myself and greet people…

1) Get two dishwashers. Alternate them clean/dirty. Think of them as self-washing cabinets from sci-fi. 2) Get a laundry service or maid service. Save thousands of dollars.

The (1) makes me feel sci-fi and (2) brings me back to earth.

Re: CES Was Full of Useless Robots and Machines That Don’t Work

#128
post #119

Earlier quoted context omitted.

On the other hand, according to the US census, as of 2016 the number of households with 7 or more family members is 1.27% while the number of households with 1 family member is 28.13%. If we take into account the households with 3 or fewer family members we are talking over 75% of the US. I think it is completely reasonable not to consider your circumstance when giving general advice. The vast majority of people can…

And how about the purchasing power of a family of 1?

Is the purchasing power of a family of 5 (2 adults, 3 children) any higher than someone living alone, specifically when talking about purchasing home appliances?

I mean occasionally my wife and I will both purchase bread on the way home resulting in us having a lot of bread, but I can't think of a time we both accidentally bought a refrigerator or oven on the same weekend.

Re: CES Was Full of Useless Robots and Machines That Don’t Work

#129
post #5

Here's what I want robots to do: 1) Wash my dishes, dry them and put them away completely automatically. 2) Wash and dry my clothes, fold them and put them away completely automatically. These two things would save me hours of work per week. FoldiMate simply isn't even close to being good enough, but I'd be willing to spend about that much for a robot that could do #2. I can vacuum my floor by myself and greet people…

There’s an easy way to cut down on laundry - wear your clothes multiple times between cleanings.... honestly I usually wear jeans 2-3 days between washes. Everything else is single day only... except when I go backpacking and then wear the same thing for a week straight. The smell is... complex.

Any minute now, I'm expecting someone to pipe up "Oh, I just shower clothed..."

Re: CES Was Full of Useless Robots and Machines That Don’t Work

#130
post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why? Personally I'm hoping for some kind of telescopic arm in the ceiling, bipedal robots still take up storage space and get in the way, ceiling arms could work around me, are probably easier to deliver and are probably better to interact with "hey arm, can you give me a reading light and put my book away when I fall asleep".

Wow, that’s a brilliant idea… applying the wisdom and thinking we currently use leads us to inventions that are similar to a dishwasher, or inventions that are similar to a human, but really all you need is a simple robotic arm in the ceiling, some sensors, and a computer which can be constantly updated.

Visualise yourself sleeping with an arm hanging above you. What if someone hacks the arm and it kills you in your sleep? You can't be sure with all the vulnerabilities. I wouldn't be able to sleep with such a dangerous thing in the same room.
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