A laundry-folding robot blew up the Internet. We talked to the inventor

9 months ago

Aaron Tan, a robotics researcher at Stanford, introduced Lume, a robot disguised as bedside lamps that folds laundry.
The teaser video of Lume garnered 3.8 million views in 48 hours, sparking mixed reactions.
Lume is currently a prototype in a San Francisco garage, with plans to refine its design.
Inspired by 'Beauty and the Beast,' Lume aims to blend robots into home environments seamlessly.
The initial use case for Lume is folding laundry, addressing a commonly disliked chore.
Lume operates via voice controls or an app, revealing its robotic arms and cameras only when activated.
Safety and privacy are prioritized, with no human contact features initially.
Preorders for Lume are in the five digits, with a planned release in 2026 at a sub-$2,000 price.
Lume diverges from humanoid robots, focusing on being a static, task-specific tool rather than a human replacement.

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