An 800 clothes-folding robot actually makes sense

FoldiMate does one thing, and it does it well: It folds your laundry. Commence with the eye rolls, let the Oh brothers! But keep in mind that a robot vacuum cleaner was once considered the height of ridiculous, and now iRobot, maker of the bestselling Roomba series, is the undisputed king of the home robotics market. In fact, FoldiMate may be primed for success precisely because its makers are following a path trod by iRobot. We're at the very beginning of the personal robotics era -- Home Bot 1.0, let's call it -- but too many personal robotics companies are pursuing ambitious multi-function bots designed to be personal assistants, tutors, entertainers, and sassy sidekicks all in one.