Foldimate’s laundry-folding machine actually works now

Foldimate’s laundry-folding machine actually works now

5 years ago
Anonymous $L9wC17otzH

https://www.theverge.com/2019/1/7/18171441/foldimate-laundry-folding-robot-ces-2019

Back in 2018, Foldimate was one of two laundry-folding machines exhibiting at CES that promised to make folding clothes a thing of the past. It was up against Laundroid, a $16,000 AI-powered machine that was supposed to analyze each clothing item and figure out the best way to fold it using AI. Neither machine worked at the time— Foldimate’s model was a non-working prototype, and I accidentally broke the Laundroid when I confused the machine’s AI with a black T-shirt. This year, Foldimate is the sole laundry-folding machine at CES, returning for the third time with a fully working prototype.

I clipped in my Verge T-shirt to the machine, which pulled in the shirt and produced a neatly folded shirt in about five seconds. Foldimate says that you can fold an entire load of laundry in about five minutes, which includes collared shirts, pants, and medium-sized towels. It won’t be able to fold smaller clothes like baby items or oversized bed linens, but still, it’s a start. If I’ve learned anything from Marie Kondo, it’s that folding my laundry is the first step to fixing my (imaginary) dysfunctional marriage.