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 bathrooms.
Currently myself and my wife split these duties, and kids help a bit. But it's still a ton of work for us. I would love to offload all that and more to a robot.
As it happens, I turned sixty-seven today. While I am in good shape now, it's reasonable to assume that I might need personal care at some point in the not too distant future. A humanoid robot assistant that could handle many of those tasks would be great.
I have no idea when or whether that will become possible, though.
hold and carry things you give it (without spilling), and carry then set them down where you ask.
or pick things up from the ground for you.
Then that would probably be a great help for lots of older people.
I'm not that old myself, but I've seen lots of older people who are otherwise self-sufficient struggle with some of these things as mobility starts to suffer.
If it could also talk to you and give sass back, then that would also be a bonus.
You don't hire a maid service to clean up after you, you do it because they do a better job at all the stuff you really don't want to.
Why invent a dishwasher? You can have someone do it! Why have automated elevators? You can have someone do it! Why have automated farming systems? You can hire cheap Mexicans to do it!
We like to invent technologies to help make people's lives easier.
A robot that does it for me that I can buy for $15k and last a decade? Id be all over it.
No one is building a robot to dust your antique china collection anytime soon.
Of course, these are very hard problems to take on -- much harder than a "smart" light switch -- but the market is absolutely there.
> Everyone that doesn't enjoy cleaning, cooking, doing laundry, mowing the lawn, or taking out the trash would LOVE a home robot that really works.
- Dishes: dishwashers already do the majority of the labor intensive part.
- Laundry: the washer already does the labor intensive part.
- Mowing: if you don't trust robot cars, you shouldn't trust a moving robot with blades attached.
- Taking out the trash: I don't see buying a multi-thousand dollar robot to save me the 20 seconds it takes to walk the garbage out.
Even robot vacuums are kinda terrible.
Sure I'd like a personal robot butler to walk the dog and a dozen other annoying tasks, but apple isn't going to figure that out short of AGI or a quantum leap forward in more traditional approaches. What we're going to get is something like the Roomba, which was already useless in my tight house. I can't imagine too many things that would be relatively achievable that I would care about.
I guess I wasn't very clear above lol.
There are multiple companies that already sell automatic lawn mowers in the $1000+ range. Some you bury a boundary wire around the target area, others figure it out with cameras.
Breakthrough technology.
Because they're not; the exact opposite in fact. That Spot missing the shoe on the first grab, being loud, and taking up more space than a German Shepard (without the floofy companionship) is case in point how far away we are.
There are already products for infants that will prep baby food. It’s harder to do something more complicated than that. Meal kit type meals that take grocery store ingredients as an input would likely do well with the well to do 30+ crowd that is in the middle of having kids and home remodels and is upset at how much delivery restaurant food they eat.
I’m definitely not projecting ;).
I think there’s likely a market for just the iBabyFood maker let along coming closer to an automated chef that’s “smarter” than buying a meal kit.
My experience with smart vacuums is that the more “AI” they add to them the worse they get. I’ve switched brands a few times and have always preferred the dumber models. I’m sure old iPhone tech and some computer vision know how would make a “Roomba killer” possible but I don’t know how many people are going to by the Beats by Dre Vacuum. Maybe a lot?
As things become more solarized a cross “platform” energy management system would be useful. Load controllers exist but often they’re tied to solar batteries or EVSEs. In my case I could avoid the cost of a panel update if there was a good system for load control that also wouldn’t upset my family. I.e. if they need to handle a transfer switch they will not be happy. More like, “if I’m running the jacuzzi and it’s winter, gate the AC but not the heat pump. If it’s summer gate the heat pump Aux heat but not the heat pump itself”
Most load controllers are focused on making a generator or battery run critical loads and don’t really work for larger more electrified homes on 200A panels.
Well, there's always the all-in-one washer/dryer combo which also does auto-foldi...
>Edit: someone below said laundry folding robot. I'd see that as useful.
I mean there is the automated chef kitchen machine the size of a large fridge which cooks dozens of meals which all intersect with the unit-prepared ingredients. Essentially a compact home version of what you'll all soon be seeing at fast food joints all over.
I myself am flipping out about Flippy™!
Edit: someone below said laundry folding robot. I'd see that as useful.