6 ms·

Or you could teach your kids to clean up their toys themselves. Make it a fun game for example. Set an example by putting away your own groceries as soon as yo

Or you could teach your kids to clean up their toys themselves. Make it a fun game for example. Set an example by putting away your own groceries as soon as you put them in the kitchen. Boom 5k saved. Maybe they will grow up to not be the type of person who leaves all of their crap on the table of the university table after they are done studying. To be clear: I am not shifting on you as a parent. I am making fun of owning robots to do the specific things you mentioned. Obviously if you are immobile in some sense it would be great to have a cleaning robot

bdhess 6y ago
Even if you're not immobile it would be great to have a cleaning robot. Hiring housekeepers is a thing. Do you actually enjoy cleaning?
techie128 6y ago
Instead of building robots, perhaps we should allow low cost care workers to help immobile people. These care workers can be sourced locally or abroad (immigrants). Boom. You've just lifted someone out of poverty and helped an immobile human get a live human care taker.
- pjc50 6y ago
  All well and good until a pandemic comes along.
  - techie128 6y ago
    Live-in caregivers are not going to increase the chances of infection. Other types of caregivers may.
- Cthulhu_ 6y ago
  Why the focus on low cost and immigrants? There's millions of people in your country (and I don't even know where you live) that live below the poverty line or are unemployed. Open up jobs, pay a decent wage, and stop this line of thought about exploiting people as much as possible for as little money as possible.
  - techie128 6y ago
    Why are you equating low cost with exploitation? Why focus on the immigrants when my post _clearly_ mentioned local or immigrants? It is also very disingenuous for you to remark about my location. Clearly, Hacker News is US/Silicon Valley centric. My comment was pointing out that Silicon Valley engineers need to get their heads out of their asses and look at the unemployment not only in the US but rest of the world. Caregiving is a great job for those who don't have a job. More importantly, SV seems to be forgetting the human component of care giving. A robot _cannot_ possibly take the place of an actual human. It's just not the same.
    - kwhitefoot 6y ago
      > Why are you equating low cost with exploitation? Probably because low cost always seems to mean low income, low status, long hours, and insecure employment.
seanmcdirmid 6y ago
People used to say the same things about dishwashers, vacuum cleaners, powered lawn mowers, etc. Heck, one could imagine Og the caveperson lamenting that their kids don’t know how to drag stones properly anymore given that new fangled wheel invention. Don’t worry, we will find other ways to discipline and train our kids as tech marches forward.
- Cthulhu_ 6y ago
  The important part is that people know how to do the things - and that the things have to be done - without the equipment. I grew up with a dishwasher, but when I moved out I was without for five years. I didn't end up panicking and just did the manual washing up for five years. I own a house now with a dishwasher; I don't NEED it, but it sure is convenient. Anyway, when it comes to kids picking up their shit, the important part there is that they learn the importance of not living in a fucking tip. If they or a robot or the well-paid help does it, it doesn't really matter in the end as long as it gets done.
  - lopmotr 6y ago
    Anybody can learn how to do housework when and if they need it. Doing it as a child can instill a work ethic which is very useful, but there's no need to train them on how to do it.
    - mennis16 6y ago
      You'd be surprised how many young adults are not aware of basic things like if your sink does not have a garbage disposal you should not dump large chunks of food down the drain, or that you should replace your dish sponge periodically. Certainly these are things that could be easily learned, but I do think there is a lack of awareness (or caring) about basic procedures on which cleaning products to use when, etc. I have seen recent college grads go over a year without washing/changing their bed sheets. In one case I found a couple dead bugs under the sheets. It may be pure laziness but in that case they are also feigning ignorance.
sbierwagen 6y ago
If you actually had a simple hack that reliably made children clean up after themselves, and could somehow sell it for money without it being instantly pirated, you would make rather more billions of dollars than Aaron Edsinger's robot ever would.
- Cthulhu_ 6y ago
  There is no magic trick there, just stop being afraid of hurting their feelings by being assertive and making your expectations of their contribution to the household known.
  - shiftpgdn 6y ago
    How many kids do you have and how old are they?
    - ksdale 6y ago
      “Why don’t people just tell their children what to do?”
- rawoke083600 6y ago
  Education ? /s :)
dr_dshiv 6y ago
I specifically had children because they are like little robots.
jamesrcole 6y ago
> Or you could teach your kids to clean up their toys themselves. [...] To be clear: I am not shifting on you as a parent. I am making fun of owning robots to do the specific things you mentioned. Most of the specific things they mentioned have nothing to do with being a parent, and also apply to people who do not have children.

bdhess 6y ago

Even if you're not immobile it would be great to have a cleaning robot. Hiring housekeepers is a thing. Do you actually enjoy cleaning?

techie128 6y ago

Instead of building robots, perhaps we should allow low cost care workers to help immobile people. These care workers can be sourced locally or abroad (immigrants). Boom. You've just lifted someone out of poverty and helped an immobile human get a live human care taker.

pjc50 6y ago
All well and good until a pandemic comes along.
- techie128 6y ago
  Live-in caregivers are not going to increase the chances of infection. Other types of caregivers may.
Cthulhu_ 6y ago
Why the focus on low cost and immigrants? There's millions of people in your country (and I don't even know where you live) that live below the poverty line or are unemployed. Open up jobs, pay a decent wage, and stop this line of thought about exploiting people as much as possible for as little money as possible.
- techie128 6y ago
  Why are you equating low cost with exploitation? Why focus on the immigrants when my post _clearly_ mentioned local or immigrants? It is also very disingenuous for you to remark about my location. Clearly, Hacker News is US/Silicon Valley centric. My comment was pointing out that Silicon Valley engineers need to get their heads out of their asses and look at the unemployment not only in the US but rest of the world. Caregiving is a great job for those who don't have a job. More importantly, SV seems to be forgetting the human component of care giving. A robot _cannot_ possibly take the place of an actual human. It's just not the same.
  - kwhitefoot 6y ago
    > Why are you equating low cost with exploitation? Probably because low cost always seems to mean low income, low status, long hours, and insecure employment.

seanmcdirmid 6y ago

People used to say the same things about dishwashers, vacuum cleaners, powered lawn mowers, etc. Heck, one could imagine Og the caveperson lamenting that their kids don’t know how to drag stones properly anymore given that new fangled wheel invention. Don’t worry, we will find other ways to discipline and train our kids as tech marches forward.

Cthulhu_ 6y ago
The important part is that people know how to do the things - and that the things have to be done - without the equipment. I grew up with a dishwasher, but when I moved out I was without for five years. I didn't end up panicking and just did the manual washing up for five years. I own a house now with a dishwasher; I don't NEED it, but it sure is convenient. Anyway, when it comes to kids picking up their shit, the important part there is that they learn the importance of not living in a fucking tip. If they or a robot or the well-paid help does it, it doesn't really matter in the end as long as it gets done.
- lopmotr 6y ago
  Anybody can learn how to do housework when and if they need it. Doing it as a child can instill a work ethic which is very useful, but there's no need to train them on how to do it.
  - mennis16 6y ago
    You'd be surprised how many young adults are not aware of basic things like if your sink does not have a garbage disposal you should not dump large chunks of food down the drain, or that you should replace your dish sponge periodically. Certainly these are things that could be easily learned, but I do think there is a lack of awareness (or caring) about basic procedures on which cleaning products to use when, etc. I have seen recent college grads go over a year without washing/changing their bed sheets. In one case I found a couple dead bugs under the sheets. It may be pure laziness but in that case they are also feigning ignorance.

sbierwagen 6y ago

If you actually had a simple hack that reliably made children clean up after themselves, and could somehow sell it for money without it being instantly pirated, you would make rather more billions of dollars than Aaron Edsinger's robot ever would.

Cthulhu_ 6y ago
There is no magic trick there, just stop being afraid of hurting their feelings by being assertive and making your expectations of their contribution to the household known.
- shiftpgdn 6y ago
  How many kids do you have and how old are they?
  - ksdale 6y ago
    “Why don’t people just tell their children what to do?”
rawoke083600 6y ago
Education ? /s :)

dr_dshiv 6y ago

I specifically had children because they are like little robots.

jamesrcole 6y ago

> Or you could teach your kids to clean up their toys themselves. [...] To be clear: I am not shifting on you as a parent. I am making fun of owning robots to do the specific things you mentioned. Most of the specific things they mentioned have nothing to do with being a parent, and also apply to people who do not have children.