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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

#221

Post by manigandham »

iandanforth wrote: post #215
AdamJacobMuller wrote: post #176

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> FoldiMate Is this a joke? A machine that, when you take a piece of laundry and after de-tangling each piece (fixing inside-out/sleeves/etc) and then orienting it properly, insert it into the machine in a specific way, will fold laundry in "a few" minutes. All this for the low price of $1,000 USD and they claim to deliver in two years (which we all know will slip). If this machine let me dump a dry bucket of laundry…

I know the guy behind FoldiMate a little bit. I've met him at trade shows. One thing I have to point out is that he has pursued this dream for years. Lack of interest, team, funding ... nothing has stopped this guy. It's a really hard problem and he keeps at it. I can't say I'm rushing out to buy one myself, but there's a human story here too, and I think that's been lost in the coverage.

At some point, the better answer to is to admit that the timing and possible solutions are not viable. Think of what could be possible if that determination was applied to something else.

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

#222

Post by xzel »

sirmike_ wrote: post #169

Heatworks made this $300 wonder. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4UgIijI0Z0 I am down. Sad to see more hype than substance re:robots.

I was just thinking about something like this from the above comments. It reminds me of the cup washers they use at bars that moves cups under hot water and then to a place to dry. Both would be an interesting piece in a home kitchen.

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

#223

Post by roel_v »

bane wrote: 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) Wash my dishes, dry them and put them away completely automatically."

This is a mostly solved problem - get 2 (or 3) dishwashers. Only requires some occasional reshuffling of less often used things. Like 90% of what's in your dishwasher is what you use time and time again. Highly recommended.

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

#224

Post by krzat »

iandanforth wrote: post #215
AdamJacobMuller wrote: post #176

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> FoldiMate Is this a joke? A machine that, when you take a piece of laundry and after de-tangling each piece (fixing inside-out/sleeves/etc) and then orienting it properly, insert it into the machine in a specific way, will fold laundry in "a few" minutes. All this for the low price of $1,000 USD and they claim to deliver in two years (which we all know will slip). If this machine let me dump a dry bucket of laundry…

I know the guy behind FoldiMate a little bit. I've met him at trade shows. One thing I have to point out is that he has pursued this dream for years. Lack of interest, team, funding ... nothing has stopped this guy. It's a really hard problem and he keeps at it. I can't say I'm rushing out to buy one myself, but there's a human story here too, and I think that's been lost in the coverage.

Maybe he could repurpose this to fold origami or something.

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

#225

Post by tuomosipola »

mahmud wrote: post #51
CapitalistCartr wrote: post #9

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.

Am I the only one that washes dishes immediately after use? No need to even use the machine. Wash immediately after use, let them dry on rack, wipe and put away. Dishes and laundry are a total non-issue.

I, too, wash dishes right after use. No accumulating piles and it takes about 10 seconds to do that. Nowadays I actually have a dishwasher in my new apartment but I have used it zero times!

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

#226

Post by roel_v »

kayhi wrote: post #16
MollyR wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That first recommendation is pure genius!

I’ve thought about getting like 5 and replacing all cabinets. A lower end dishwasher is about the same as a custom cabinet $150-$300).

Don't skimp om dishwasher quality. You'd think 'hiw different can they be', but a cheap dishwasher is only slightly better than none at all (having to rinse, redoing things that weren't cleaned well, frequent breakage/blockage) whereas a good one is a life changer.

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

#227

Post by slfnflctd »

solatic wrote: post #150
slfnflctd wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

From an engineering standpoint, what you describe is likely actually possible to implement right now. It would be expensive as heck, but it should be doable. Meanwhile, no amount of money can currently buy you a robot that will completely do your laundry, because the problem has not yet been solved. The development of this stuff is not exactly intuitive.

Well, if the dumbwaiter idea is feasible, you'd just put the dirty laundry in the dumbwaiter, tell the dumbwaiter that it's dirty laundry (maybe provide further classification like "this is a white towel" or "this is a pair of blue jeans"), and wait for notifications from the dumbwaiter system to know when you can ask the dumbwaiter for your laundry back. Wondering if you could even build some kind of camera and some…

My expectation would be that getting the laundry into and/or out of the average commodity washer & dryer might be harder than you think. Robotic dexterity is very limited, and clothing can move and morph in all kinds of unexpected ways.

I'm sure a custom industrial-scale solution could be designed, but that still leaves the problem of folding. I suppose a compromise might be partial folding, like having the machine gently 'stack' the clothes in a return basket to minimize wrinkles.

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

#228

Post by deepGem »

bane wrote: 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) Wash my dishes, dry them and put them away completely automatically.

I have actually thought about this, since this is a chore that I absolutely hate. In my view no one should be subject to the task of making dishes. Some people seem to like it, God bless them !

Initial prototype will be to work with steel utensils to avoid damages. Current object detection techniques are sufficient to recognize plates, glasses, dirt etc.

I envision a setup something like this - two robotic hands sitting on top of the wash basin with a camera head. One of the hands has a built in tap and the other a detachable scrubber with soap dispenser. One arm picks up the utensil, rotates as required, sprays water as required. The other arm scrubs off the dirt until it's clean.A camera module watches until the cleaning is accomplished. Once clean, first arm piles up similar dishes in stacks.

This made up for a good hallway conversation and I had forgotten about it since then. Thanks for rekindling the thought.

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

#229

Post by baq »

bane wrote: 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…

It says something when it's easier to land a ten story rocket booster than fold laundry...
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