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Apple explores home robotics as potential 'next big thing'

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Re: Apple explores home robotics as potential 'next big thing'

#101

Post by PopePompus »

bobbylarrybobby wrote: post #94
layer8 wrote: post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Human-sized robots (arguably needed for some of the tasks you list, being able to walk stairs, etc.) will be creepy due to how physically imposing they’ll be, and with a risk of being dangerous due to how massive they’ll need to be. For example falling over due to malfunction/collision/tripping, and potentially crushing a small child. I don’t see such a product happening for home use.

If a robot is adept at washing dishes and folding laundry, it suggests our technology is good enough that they should have a decent shot at remaining upright indefinitely, or falling gracefully and righting themselves afterwards.

Perhaps the entire kitchen sink could be redesigned with robotic dish washing in mind. No bipedal Boston Dynamics style robot washing your dishes and taking out the trash - just two arms built into the sink with automated drains and soap dispensing to wash dishes, put them in a rack, and do nothing else. I'd pay quite a bit for that.

Re: Apple explores home robotics as potential 'next big thing'

#102

Post by PopePompus »

lobochrome wrote: post #87
judah wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The company that builds a robot that can do household chores will be very, very rich. I want a bot that can do laundry (load washer, load dryer, fold, put away), do the dishes (rinse, put in dishwasher, put clean dishes away, wash pots & pans), vacuum floors, dust, clean up messes, empty garbage bins, take out the trash, mow my lawn, trim bushes, clean tables, mop floors, make meals, cleans toilets and sinks and bath…

Self driving cars seem tame in comparison.

I don't think so. To my knowledge, nobody has ever been killed by a Roomba. The robot problem is a lot less scary if there are essentially no life-and-death consequences for random innocent bystanders.

Re: Apple explores home robotics as potential 'next big thing'

#103

Post by dwaite »

npunt wrote: post #48
paxys wrote: post #21

I know being late to the game and doing the tech "right" in terms of design and usability is kinda Apple's thing, but lately it seems like they have been only picking areas that weren't successful for a reason, like insurmountable technical difficulties or lack of customer interest, and no amount of Apple's design or marketing magic can fix that. See – self driving, AR/VR, smart speakers, folding phones, now home rob…

One thing about Apple is things can make sense for them to explore that don't make sense for others to. They have a big enough ecosystem, enough cash to do R&D on an idea for decades , and a culture of killing things that aren't good enough that make them an ideal place to determine whether ideas are a conceptual dead end versus just haven't been executed well enough (or tied to the right ecosystem to make them work)…

> One thing about Apple is things can make sense for them to explore that don't make sense for others to. They have a big enough ecosystem, enough cash to do R&D on an idea for decades, and a culture of killing things that aren't good enough that make them an ideal place to determine whether ideas are a conceptual dead end versus just haven't been executed well enough (or tied to the right ecosystem to make them work).

While Apple can do this, it isn't their typical mode of operation. For instance, they tend to accuhire companies specifically around getting an execution-oriented team for particular product areas, like developer tools (TestFlight) or weather (Dark Sky) or assistants (Siri).

This does mean building compelling product demos can determine how long a feature-under development can get extended.

> Foldables make sense for Apple to explore because even if it's ~5% likely to be able to be productized, the return is measured in the tens of billions.

Foldables make sense for Apple to explore also because even if foldable phones are a bad idea (and I kinda suspect they are), they make tons of other devices in different form factors which may have an entirely different set of trade-offs for flexible/foldable displays.

Re: Apple explores home robotics as potential 'next big thing'

#104

Post by wdh505 »

duped wrote: post #91
judah wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The company that builds a robot that can do household chores will be very, very rich. I want a bot that can do laundry (load washer, load dryer, fold, put away), do the dishes (rinse, put in dishwasher, put clean dishes away, wash pots & pans), vacuum floors, dust, clean up messes, empty garbage bins, take out the trash, mow my lawn, trim bushes, clean tables, mop floors, make meals, cleans toilets and sinks and bath…

Maids will be cheaper than robots for at least a decade

Are you willing to pay for privacy as a premium?

Re: Apple explores home robotics as potential 'next big thing'

#105

Post by PopePompus »

layer8 wrote: post #84
azinman2 wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sounds like you’ve never been in a Waymo. It’s so much better than an Uber it’s not even funny, and that’s worth many billions right there.

Apple just recently cancelled their car project after ten years of R&D and spending over $10 billion.

But Waymo is essentially building an automated taxi service, not self driving cars to be sold to consumers. Replacing taxis would probably never produce the margins that Apple expects. Self driving cars would only make sense for Apple if they could produce what Elon Musk has claimed Tesla would produce (and probably never will) - level 4+ driving.

Re: Apple explores home robotics as potential 'next big thing'

#106

Post by duped »

wdh505 wrote: post #104
duped wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maids will be cheaper than robots for at least a decade

Are you willing to pay for privacy as a premium?

I don't think whatever Silicon Valley cooks up will be more private than a human who has fallible memory

Re: Apple explores home robotics as potential 'next big thing'

#107

Post by chongli »

rubatuga wrote: post #72
chongli wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I like smart devices for their automation potential. I use smart plugs to turn on and off lights, coffee makers, grow lights, heating mats. The ability to quickly program a plug to turn on every morning at 10am and turn off again at 10pm is valuable to me. It's even more valuable if you get into hobbies like aquarium keeping where you can automate lights and fish feeders. Yes, you can do all of these things manually,…

The thing with a fish feeder is that it can be completely analog and still work fine.

Only if you're feeding once a day. You often want to feed 2 or even 3 times a day with a smaller amount at each feeding time. This tends to lead to less wasted food.

Re: Apple explores home robotics as potential 'next big thing'

#108

Post by PopePompus »

duped wrote: post #91
judah wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The company that builds a robot that can do household chores will be very, very rich. I want a bot that can do laundry (load washer, load dryer, fold, put away), do the dishes (rinse, put in dishwasher, put clean dishes away, wash pots & pans), vacuum floors, dust, clean up messes, empty garbage bins, take out the trash, mow my lawn, trim bushes, clean tables, mop floors, make meals, cleans toilets and sinks and bath…

Maids will be cheaper than robots for at least a decade

I don't want to pay someone to clean up my messes. That is not the kind of relationship I want to have with another human. But I'd happily pay for a machine that did it.

Re: Apple explores home robotics as potential 'next big thing'

#109

Post by hackable_sand »

7thaccount wrote: post #34
paxys wrote: post #21

I know being late to the game and doing the tech "right" in terms of design and usability is kinda Apple's thing, but lately it seems like they have been only picking areas that weren't successful for a reason, like insurmountable technical difficulties or lack of customer interest, and no amount of Apple's design or marketing magic can fix that. See – self driving, AR/VR, smart speakers, folding phones, now home rob…

I also can't imagine a home robotics use case that I would get excited over. Can anyone think of anything? I would guess any new product would be more complex, less efficient, and a security risk. It'll be cool and trendy for a few months and then die off. Just like the Alexa and Google speakers that can tell you the weather or adjust your lights...is it REALLY that useful outside of entertaining your nieces and neph…

Disability augments.

Re: Apple explores home robotics as potential 'next big thing'

#110

Post by stevage »

chongli wrote: post #100
stevage wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm curious about the coffee maker bit. I drink espresso and I can't really imagine a benefit in turning something a device on if someone isn't there to also put coffee in it, pour it etc. How much time does it save you having your coffee maker or before you go to get coffee?

I drink espresso as well. It takes 1/2 hour to warm up the machine after I turn it on. Having it turn on and be ready for me when I want to make a coffee saves 1/2 hour. Plus I have time-of-use billing for electricity so having it turn on early in the morning during off-peak hours saves money! It takes more energy to heat the thing up to operating temperature than it does to maintain that temperature all day.

Ah yes, makes sense. I use a stovetop pot on an induction plate. It heats up super fast.
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