Laundroid is a Laundry Folding and Washing Robot
Posted on October 10, 2015
Several Japanese tech firms have developed a laundry folding and washing robot. They are calling the automated clothing machine the Laundroid. It was presented at the 2015 Combined Exhibition of Advanced Technologies (CREATEC) trade show this past week in Japan.
Laundroid seems like a very large device for the task. CBC News reports that Panasonic, Daiwa House and Seven Dreamers have been building the machine since 2008. It takes Laundroid five minutes to clean and fold an item of clothing. Laundroid uses its algorithms to determine what type of clothing you have given it. The large machine probably has greater initial uses at commercial laundry services than in the homes of consumers.
Panasonic says in a press release that the Laundroid "frees people from the labor required in the folding and increases time with one's family and for one's hobby, resulting in revolutionizing people's life style."
Here is a video of Laundroid in action from the Createc. You cannot see what exactly is going on with the machine because it all happens behind the large black panels. However, a digital screen gives a continuous text readout of what is going on inside the machine. The screen also provides a fuzzy visual image of what is happening to the item of clothing. Take a look:
The Huffington Post UK reports that the machine will not be available until 2019 at the earliest and it will "probably cost about as much as a small car."
Photo: Seven Dreamers