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I acknowledge your point but somewhat relatedly, my washing machine is just as advanced as it needs to be.

OnlineGladiator 7y ago
That just brings up another classic robotics joke. A robot is anything that doesn't work well, yet. Once it works, you give it a new name - like dishwasher.
- tempguy9999 7y ago
  Exactly!
  - OnlineGladiator 7y ago
    What most people think of when they think of robots though are machines that can adapt to their environments - usually humanoid, but definitely dynamic. Dishwashers and washing machines are essentially mechatronic, and while they have sensors to adjust for varying loads they aren't really reactive like people expect from a "robot." The only thing that really fits the descriptions is the robot vacuum cleaner, because it will work in an environment designed for humans (sort of, they're known to work in limited use cases). The Boston Dynamics Spot robot would also be considered a robot, but it's obviously too expensive for consumers and I suspect it will struggle due to limited usability. Humanoid robots are still completely within the realm of R&D and not really commercializable yet. So what I mean when I say robot, is a machine that can adapt to a human-oriented environment and fulfill a task with some level of competence that people don't consider it useless. And right now we basically have vacuums, and are a long, long way away from getting much more.
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]
- TulliusCicero 7y ago
  Ditto with AI. Recognizing types of objects in images was AI until computers could do it. Playing chess well was AI until computers could do it.
bluGill 7y ago
My washing machine just washes. I need it to collect, sort by color, wash, dry, fold/hang and put away the laundry too. It does one of those well.
- jaclaz 7y ago
  Maybe you will be able to get one of these (before or later): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COXM2V0wn_I https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COXM2V0wn_I You will need also a bigger house, probably.
- ghaff 7y ago
  Yes, although historically washing was almost certainly the most labor intensive part of the process. There are combo washer/driers but, mostly, it makes more sense to keep them separate given that transferring from one to other is pretty low effort. Same thing applies to washing dishes.

That just brings up another classic robotics joke. A robot is anything that doesn't work well, yet. Once it works, you give it a new name - like dishwasher.

tempguy9999 7y ago
Exactly!
- OnlineGladiator 7y ago
  What most people think of when they think of robots though are machines that can adapt to their environments - usually humanoid, but definitely dynamic. Dishwashers and washing machines are essentially mechatronic, and while they have sensors to adjust for varying loads they aren't really reactive like people expect from a "robot." The only thing that really fits the descriptions is the robot vacuum cleaner, because it will work in an environment designed for humans (sort of, they're known to work in limited use cases). The Boston Dynamics Spot robot would also be considered a robot, but it's obviously too expensive for consumers and I suspect it will struggle due to limited usability. Humanoid robots are still completely within the realm of R&D and not really commercializable yet. So what I mean when I say robot, is a machine that can adapt to a human-oriented environment and fulfill a task with some level of competence that people don't consider it useless. And right now we basically have vacuums, and are a long, long way away from getting much more.
deleted 7y ago
[deleted]
TulliusCicero 7y ago
Ditto with AI. Recognizing types of objects in images was AI until computers could do it. Playing chess well was AI until computers could do it.

bluGill 7y ago

My washing machine just washes. I need it to collect, sort by color, wash, dry, fold/hang and put away the laundry too. It does one of those well.

jaclaz 7y ago
Maybe you will be able to get one of these (before or later): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COXM2V0wn_I https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COXM2V0wn_I You will need also a bigger house, probably.
ghaff 7y ago
Yes, although historically washing was almost certainly the most labor intensive part of the process. There are combo washer/driers but, mostly, it makes more sense to keep them separate given that transferring from one to other is pretty low effort. Same thing applies to washing dishes.