Tired of cleaning? Discover the new robot scientists are developing that can solve this laundry woe quick
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How often does cleaning laundry feel like such a chore?
With bedsheets and towels that need to be folded and clothes piled up for sorting, it often seems keeping clothes clean is so tedious no matter how many times you do it.
It's something many of us feel—and scientists have heard our plight, as they have created a cleaning robot that can pick up dirty laundry!
Scientists from the University of California Berkeley said their clothes-collecting bot solves the ‘Teenager’s Problem’ on how to clean their mess efficiently.
The Teenager’s Problem was named after the 'Chinese Postman's Problem'—a mathematical puzzle developed by Chinese Mathematician Kuan Mei-Ko in 1962. It asked how quickly a postie could visit a number of different houses to deliver mail.
The Teenager’s Problem, meanwhile, asks how you clean a room with fewer trips to the basket.
Using colour and depth-sensing cameras, the robot can now identify the messiest room and find the most efficient way of collecting fallen laundry.
The study's lead author, Professor Ken Goldberg, estimated that this robot could be commercially available within a decade.
But a robot with a grabber might only be able to pick clothes up a few times, unlike a human who can do it all in one two-armed scoop. That’s why Professor Goldberg designed an AI that picks up clothes with a controlling robotic arm.
Professor Goldberg said, ‘It self-teaches by repeatedly running a cycle where it picks up the garments from a flat surface, puts them into a basket, and then dumps the basket back onto the flat surface, and repeats.’
He added that the robot needs to 'learn' how to optimise several garments it can take each trip.
The AI repeated this cycle 200 times during an experiment, sorting 2,000 garments.
The researchers tried two different techniques, using a standard colour camera and a special depth-sensing camera.
The robot managed to reduce the number of trips needed to clear the room by about 20 per cent with each method used separately. Each mode also had its strengths and weaknesses.
The colour camera identified clothes but failed to spot the best area to grab several pieces of clothing at once.
The depth-sensing camera can spot several clothes piled up but struggles to see individual garments.
But if the two cameras were combined, the robot could be 67 per cent more efficient.
You can watch the video below:
Professor Goldberg was asked if this robot would be commercially available soon.
He said, ‘We hope so. Millions of teenagers (and their parents) are counting on it!’
He added, ‘The ability to efficiently pick up garments could be very useful for senior citizens, in hospitals, hotels, and in retail clothing stores.'
But, he also acknowledged that this technology isn't quite ready just yet as 'current mobile robots with arms attached are a bit too expensive for home use'.
At the moment, it also cannot sort clothes according to colour. However, the researchers suggested this sorting technology would be a ‘natural fit’ for grabbing clothes.
As we veer towards more advanced technology, some experts believe we may be close to having a chore-less future.
According to a recent study by Oxford University, almost 40 per cent of household chores will be automated by 2023.
The researchers said that robots will do the most work in grocery shopping by 59 per cent.
In addition, other studies have found that British people spend 43 per cent of their work and study hours on unpaid labour, such as housework.
If this robot succeeds, it will join a range of robotic chefs, cleaners, carers and labourers on the market.
Modern technology has given us opportunities and skills we never thought we needed. In a previous story, a software using ‘generative artificial intelligence’ managed to create mesmerising, realistic, and artistic images of how certain iconic figures would have looked like if they turned 80. Check out the story here.
Members, do you think this cleaning robot will help you finish chores efficiently? Or do you prefer whipping out the ol’ elbow grease to do things like sorting clothes for laundry? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
With bedsheets and towels that need to be folded and clothes piled up for sorting, it often seems keeping clothes clean is so tedious no matter how many times you do it.
It's something many of us feel—and scientists have heard our plight, as they have created a cleaning robot that can pick up dirty laundry!
Scientists from the University of California Berkeley said their clothes-collecting bot solves the ‘Teenager’s Problem’ on how to clean their mess efficiently.
The Teenager’s Problem was named after the 'Chinese Postman's Problem'—a mathematical puzzle developed by Chinese Mathematician Kuan Mei-Ko in 1962. It asked how quickly a postie could visit a number of different houses to deliver mail.
The Teenager’s Problem, meanwhile, asks how you clean a room with fewer trips to the basket.
A cleaning robot was created to help clean people’s laundry messes efficiently. Credit: New Scientist / Youtube
Using colour and depth-sensing cameras, the robot can now identify the messiest room and find the most efficient way of collecting fallen laundry.
The study's lead author, Professor Ken Goldberg, estimated that this robot could be commercially available within a decade.
But a robot with a grabber might only be able to pick clothes up a few times, unlike a human who can do it all in one two-armed scoop. That’s why Professor Goldberg designed an AI that picks up clothes with a controlling robotic arm.
Professor Goldberg said, ‘It self-teaches by repeatedly running a cycle where it picks up the garments from a flat surface, puts them into a basket, and then dumps the basket back onto the flat surface, and repeats.’
He added that the robot needs to 'learn' how to optimise several garments it can take each trip.
The AI repeated this cycle 200 times during an experiment, sorting 2,000 garments.
The researchers tried two different techniques, using a standard colour camera and a special depth-sensing camera.
The robot managed to reduce the number of trips needed to clear the room by about 20 per cent with each method used separately. Each mode also had its strengths and weaknesses.
The colour camera identified clothes but failed to spot the best area to grab several pieces of clothing at once.
The depth-sensing camera can spot several clothes piled up but struggles to see individual garments.
But if the two cameras were combined, the robot could be 67 per cent more efficient.
You can watch the video below:
Professor Goldberg was asked if this robot would be commercially available soon.
He said, ‘We hope so. Millions of teenagers (and their parents) are counting on it!’
He added, ‘The ability to efficiently pick up garments could be very useful for senior citizens, in hospitals, hotels, and in retail clothing stores.'
But, he also acknowledged that this technology isn't quite ready just yet as 'current mobile robots with arms attached are a bit too expensive for home use'.
At the moment, it also cannot sort clothes according to colour. However, the researchers suggested this sorting technology would be a ‘natural fit’ for grabbing clothes.
As we veer towards more advanced technology, some experts believe we may be close to having a chore-less future.
According to a recent study by Oxford University, almost 40 per cent of household chores will be automated by 2023.
The researchers said that robots will do the most work in grocery shopping by 59 per cent.
In addition, other studies have found that British people spend 43 per cent of their work and study hours on unpaid labour, such as housework.
If this robot succeeds, it will join a range of robotic chefs, cleaners, carers and labourers on the market.
Members, do you think this cleaning robot will help you finish chores efficiently? Or do you prefer whipping out the ol’ elbow grease to do things like sorting clothes for laundry? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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