AI-powered laundry-folding robot company has filed for bankruptcy • Hacker News Board

Re: AI-powered laundry-folding robot company has filed for bankruptcy

#101

Post by Bombthecat » Thu, Apr 25, 2019, 12:52 PM UTC

tropdrop wrote: post #89

return1 wrote: post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"washing" is a euphemism for pressing a button, though

This is a gross oversimplification, especially washing in a family (> 1 person). 1. Sorting - when you buy clothing, do you take handling instructions into account? Accounting for handling is very hard! Good luck shopping online, hunting through instruction tags hidden on sides of clothes, all while keeping price reasonable. I do not like shopping, so I choose the first thing that looks ok and is comfortable - I am o…

You also paid for the washer and water and electricity... With your working time...

Re: AI-powered laundry-folding robot company has filed for bankruptcy

#102

Post by korm » Thu, Apr 25, 2019, 12:54 PM UTC

tropdrop wrote: post #89

return1 wrote: post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"washing" is a euphemism for pressing a button, though

This is a gross oversimplification, especially washing in a family (> 1 person). 1. Sorting - when you buy clothing, do you take handling instructions into account? Accounting for handling is very hard! Good luck shopping online, hunting through instruction tags hidden on sides of clothes, all while keeping price reasonable. I do not like shopping, so I choose the first thing that looks ok and is comfortable - I am o…

Step 1 becomes progressively easier after each wash. Steps 2, 3, 4 are completely eliminated by having an in-unit washer as you said, like most families in western Europe do at least. Step 6 is also pretty quick with practice.

Re: AI-powered laundry-folding robot company has filed for bankruptcy

#103

Post by return1 » Thu, Apr 25, 2019, 12:59 PM UTC

sauravt wrote: post #53

Someone should make a solar powered washing machine that runs off the grid and doesn't need to be fed with a water supply (recycles its own water usage, use UV beams to kill germs) Only external inputs are detergant and sunlight, output is dirt and heat.

> recycles its own water usage, use UV beams to kill germs

balloon the clothes up to the stratosphere, then let them sink in a lake

Re: AI-powered laundry-folding robot company has filed for bankruptcy

#104

Post by benj111 » Thu, Apr 25, 2019, 1:06 PM UTC

return1 wrote: post #83

DanBC wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But it turns out that washing machines didn't do much to save time. In the past people just didn't wash their clothes as often. Now people will wash their clothes after a single wear, and it's still mostly women who are doing the washing in families. https://twitter.com/TimHarford/status/1113123861602713600 https://twitter.com/DeconinckKoen/status/1054097445351776256

"washing" is a euphemism for pressing a button, though

What the button that when pressed, goes and gets the washing from various rooms, checks pockets and such, checks washing instructions and separates colours, and then hangs it out afterwards?

Re: AI-powered laundry-folding robot company has filed for bankruptcy

#105

Post by benj111 » Thu, Apr 25, 2019, 1:14 PM UTC

microcolonel wrote: post #95

islon wrote: post #93

While a "AI-powered laundry-folding robot" company files for bankruptcy there's a guy making money selling onions on the internet.

AI-powered laundry folding robot company.... folds! hah!

I am literally creased up laughing.

Re: AI-powered laundry-folding robot company has filed for bankruptcy

#106

Post by solarkraft » Thu, Apr 25, 2019, 1:17 PM UTC

DanBC wrote: post #64

peter303 wrote: post #16

You have to admit the washing machine is one of wonders of the modern world, yet taken for granted. Until they were invented, a wife or servant essentially devoted most of a whole weekday to washing clothes. A washing machine and dryer cuts this to a couple hours a week. Clever people seek to cut this time even further.

But it turns out that washing machines didn't do much to save time. In the past people just didn't wash their clothes as often. Now people will wash their clothes after a single wear, and it's still mostly women who are doing the washing in families. https://twitter.com/TimHarford/status/1113123861602713600 https://twitter.com/DeconinckKoen/status/1054097445351776256

We still saved a ton of time in comparison to how clean our clothes are.

Re: AI-powered laundry-folding robot company has filed for bankruptcy

#107

Post by solarkraft » Thu, Apr 25, 2019, 1:20 PM UTC

cocochanel wrote: post #47

clothes wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't fold my clothes, and haven't in 20 years. Which is to say, my clothes do not get folded by anyone. No one folde them for me, nor do I fold them myself. You don't have to fold most clothing. You can just toss it all in a basket and let it be. Most cotton wrinkles will disappear after being worn for about 20 minutes. Movement, body heat and ambient humidity removes wrinkles automatically from a lot of clothing.…

Did you really have to create a new account to post this? Not folding clothes is not a solution.

It is a solution. And that's a pretty cool name, imo.

Re: AI-powered laundry-folding robot company has filed for bankruptcy

#108

Post by organsnyder » Thu, Apr 25, 2019, 1:24 PM UTC

korm wrote: post #102

tropdrop wrote: post #89

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is a gross oversimplification, especially washing in a family (> 1 person). 1. Sorting - when you buy clothing, do you take handling instructions into account? Accounting for handling is very hard! Good luck shopping online, hunting through instruction tags hidden on sides of clothes, all while keeping price reasonable. I do not like shopping, so I choose the first thing that looks ok and is comfortable - I am o…

Step 1 becomes progressively easier after each wash. Steps 2, 3, 4 are completely eliminated by having an in-unit washer as you said, like most families in western Europe do at least. Step 6 is also pretty quick with practice.

Step 6 is quick for a couple of adults. Add in kids, though, and takes an order of magnitude longer—especially when the kids are both young enough to be going through multiple outfits per day and are asleep (thereby restricting the ability to put clothes away) during the best times to do chores.

Re: AI-powered laundry-folding robot company has filed for bankruptcy

#109

Post by solarkraft » Thu, Apr 25, 2019, 1:26 PM UTC

duxup wrote: post #5

This fits into the category I saw a reporter describe as "Things 20 something engineers wish their mom still did for them." Similar to juicero (spelling), Amazon proposal to deliver packages inside your house....etc.

These damn entitled white males, inventing products to make the world more efficient.

Re: AI-powered laundry-folding robot company has filed for bankruptcy

#110

Post by bunderbunder » Thu, Apr 25, 2019, 1:26 PM UTC

solarkraft wrote: post #106

DanBC wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But it turns out that washing machines didn't do much to save time. In the past people just didn't wash their clothes as often. Now people will wash their clothes after a single wear, and it's still mostly women who are doing the washing in families. https://twitter.com/TimHarford/status/1113123861602713600 https://twitter.com/DeconinckKoen/status/1054097445351776256

We still saved a ton of time in comparison to how clean our clothes are.

I wouldn't be surprised if it's balanced out by having to spend more time shopping for clothes because all those repeated trips through the washer and dryer wear them out more quickly.

A while back we got fed up with our apartment's laundry facilities, and switched to one of those Haier portable washer units, drying on a clothesline, and washing less often. At this point I'm almost annoyed with how much longer my clothing is lasting, because I'm ready for some new colors.