Robotics Prove Folding Laundry is for Fools

Why waste your precious time when an $800 robot can do it for you?

Right this very second, I have three baskets of clothes that need to be folded. Tomorrow, I’ll have four—maybe five baskets (they just keep accumulating…I think my family changes outfits two or three times per day). Now, I don’t mind throwing a load into the washing machine and dryer, but I truly loathe folding it and putting it away. So imagine my joy when I saw a video about the FoldiMate, a robotic clothes folding machine that the company calls “your laundry folding friend.”

I want FoldiMate as a friend. And for just $800 or so, it can be. Here’s how it works:

Just hang your freshly cleaned clothes (or days old cleaned clothes) on the clips in the front, a conveyor belt pulls the items in and can steam the garment, and then robotic arms fold the shirt, sweater, jeans or sweatpants (can’t handle linens or under garments), and the FoldiMate then delivers the professionally folded item on a tray right to you.

The machine is portable, weighs about 65 pounds, and takes about 10 seconds to fold, another 20 seconds or so to steam. But I’m fine with that. The only problem here is, you have to then put the clothes away in drawers. But, I’m sure someone will invent a robot to take care of that soon enough!

Putting in my pre-order (that starts next year) for delivery in 2018.