Another great point you make here, and that I agree with is:
Indeed some of these use-cases are already possible for cheaper and faster and better with other solutions. But each of these requires you to install something new in your home, which is time and money. This platform, and the whole of general-purpose robotics, is about creating a product that will ultimately will do everything well enough that you the marginal gain of using something specialized is not worth the time to install it. And many use-cases like folding laundry or loading the dishwasher are not doable with anything else anyway.
You also make great points on the fact it takes time to make it work, but that's just for the first robot. Once we have enough of these out there and enough data, the time required to do any of these tasks will be much smaller.
It's already quite remarkable that today a consumer can teach an arm to grab a glass with a couple buttons when 3 years ago you would have had to ask a team of engineers to create a complex system to do that. So imagine where we'll be 3 years from now :)
I’m sorry dang but no, this is not hostility. Again a startup has a monumental mountain to climb, critical and authentic feedback is absolutely not hostile. It’s valuable food for thought.
The link you referenced is looking for “objects in the mirror” I’m not sure how that’s related here.
Frankly HN has become an Orwellian environment, perhaps after 14+ years I’m no longer welcome here.
Indeed some of these use-cases are already possible for cheaper and faster and better with other solutions. But each of these requires you to install something new in your home, which is time and money. This platform, and the whole of general-purpose robotics, is about creating a product that will ultimately will do everything well enough that you the marginal gain of using something specialized is not worth the time to install it. And many use-cases like folding laundry or loading the dishwasher are not doable with anything else anyway.
You also make great points on the fact it takes time to make it work, but that's just for the first robot. Once we have enough of these out there and enough data, the time required to do any of these tasks will be much smaller.
It's already quite remarkable that today a consumer can teach an arm to grab a glass with a couple buttons when 3 years ago you would have had to ask a team of engineers to create a complex system to do that. So imagine where we'll be 3 years from now :)