Tired of Housework? Let This Robot Do It For You

Robots may be doing house chores in 5 years

Opening a door seems simple. But when a robot does it, it's downright cool.

And when a robot folds laundry, it's downright amazing. 

Nevermind it took 25 minutes to fold a towel. You know how fast  technology changes. In a few years, the same robot may be able to do it in a matter of seconds.

The robots, called PR2s, are created at the Menlo-based company Willow Garage, which then works with developers who design software to make the robots complete a task.

"So the same way people write apps for the iPhone, people can write apps for the robot," said Eric Berger, the co-director of Willow Garage's Personal Robotics Program.  "and everyone wants the robot to do something different."

Willow Garage has worked with UC Berkeley doctoral student Jeremy Maitin-Shepard and UC Berkeley Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences assistant professor Pieter Abbeel in creating software that enables the PR2s to become towel-folding robots.

"These tests are much harder for robots, and this is one example of that being accomplished," Maitin-Shepard said. "This is actually the first time that a general-purpose robot has folded an article of clothing reliably at all."

The goal is to create robots that could do a whole host of household chores as well as make your life easier in the workplace.

"The hope is that when you have one of these someplace, you can program it to do many different tasks and so it can change every aspect of your home life, your work life, where ever it is that people are applying it," Berger said.

The first batch of robots will be sent to research labs and universities. The rest of us will have to wait at least five years. By then, the robots will be folding your towels, matching your socks, and ironing your shirts.

Contact Us