Towel Folding Robot
As we slowly begin to accept the fact that robots are going to play a bigger part in our lives and will eventually be integrated into almost every aspect of our daily routines, we start to wonder about what we would like them to do for us.
As we sit watching those sci-fi films about how, in the future, we will all have robots in our homes taking care of those chores that we despise, it makes you think about which of those chores would be the first to go.
Well? What would be yours?
If you answered “towel folding” to the above question then your time might just be getting nearer.
Below is a video of a robot that has been developed by University of California, Berkely and although, to those of you who are used to the sci-fi films, he/she may not look that impressive, but this robot shows some impressive skills.
Ok, ok. So it’s not quick and in no way could anyone say that it has been designed perfectly to go around the house doing all those little things that everyone hates so much, but it does fold towels!
The robot has been introduced to these different sized, different coloured towels for the first time and the amount of code that is required just to identify where the corners of the clothes are is magnificent. That is a lot of hard work, but it does go on to do a great job.
This is a great step forward in the recognition of items that we, as humans, have learnt to use without even a second thought. We though have had many, many years to evolve these capabilities, but what you will see as a result of research such as this will be will be visible not in generations, but within all our lifetimes.
Think about that the next time you’re folding your towels!!
