Image: YouTube/FoldiMate, Inc.
Robots have been steadily making their way into the average household through a variety of forms, such as in the cases of robo dogs and autonomous cleaning discs. FoldiMate, meanwhile, offers a unique take, having developed a robot whose sole purpose is to fold laundry.
Initially introduced at the annual Consumer Electronics Show 2017 in Las Vegas, a new version will debut in this year’s CES, from Jan. 9 to 12.
According to FoldiMate, its new robot laundry folder could go through a full load of laundry and fold every piece in a few minutes. The claim of convenience may sound too good to be true and it could be because there’s a catch: a dedicated human still needs to feed the robot the clothes to fold. Perhaps future artificial intelligence advances could make this robot smart enough to sort and fold laundry.
The laundry folder also takes up as much space as a washing machine.
Despite the catch, the first FoldiMate robot managed to generate enough buzz and pre-orders to fund a new, sleeker version.
A statement from FoldiMate also announced its plans to market the laundry-folding robots with European home appliance maker BSH Home Appliances Group. BSH’s product lineup includes washing and drying machines.
Incorporating the laundry-folding technology of FoldiMate in existing laundry machines, to make an all-in-one wash-dry-fold machine, should look promising.
Watch the video below to get an idea on how the FoldiMate laundry folder robot works. JB
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