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by jameshart4 hours ago |
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upvoteby garbageman4 hours ago|
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Automatic litter box is a great example. We've had one for ~7 years and it's still going strong. High initial cost that pays back every day over the course of what will likely be a decade+ of usage. Absolutely worth every penny if you look to the horizon. I imagine the robot mowers and robot house maids will fall under the same type of payback but with even higher upfront costs - perhaps this will turn into yet another subscription scheme.
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upvoteby xnx4 hours ago|
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> We've had one for ~7 years and it's still going strong

Interested. Which one?

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upvoteby entropic3 hours ago|
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Not OP, but I have a litter robot 3 that is still going strong after 10 years, and a litter robot 4 that is around four years old. The only problem I've run into is occasionally the pinch sensor will get bits of litter stuck in it and I have to take the globe off and tap/push on the sensor housing, then it will allow cycling again.

Great machines!

https://www.litter-robot.com/

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upvoteby lp0_on_fire2 hours ago|
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Do you use it with multiple cats? I know they advertise it that way but I'm curious where the rubber meets the pavement.
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upvoteby jvidalv3 hours ago|
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Also interested.
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upvoteby f6v3 hours ago|
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Yeah, I heard all it does is smear shit all over itself. Any good brands?
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upvoteby codegeek4 hours ago|
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It is all about the ROI. A lawn cut from a professional can cost anywhere from $25-$100 on an average (per cut). So with a $1000 lawn mower, you will get the return back in 10-40 cuts at most. That is less than 1-2 seasons. Sure, there will be some maintenance cost over the years but if you look at a 5-10 year period, it is totally worth doing your own. Even with the $1000 price tag. Of course, you cannot count the labor time.
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upvoteby vladgur3 hours ago|
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There is more to yard work than mowing the lawn unfortunately. Trimming. Fertilizing Etc etc

If I can get a robot replace a gardener who I pay $170/mo for 2 visits per month, i probably would. But I suspect that would kill lawn

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upvoteby memonkey4 hours ago|
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For all of these things, then what's the point of having a humanoid robot then? The last thing is a folding laundry bot that I would happily also pay $1000 for.
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upvoteby mrexroad4 hours ago|
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> folding laundry robot

This is my dream for a house chore robot. If I could dump hampers of clothes into a receptacle and get stacks of folded clothes out, I’d happily pay $1k. Household of 5; my kids each produce 3-4 sets of clothes a day (sleep, school, sports, after school). I run wash in AM so dryer finishes before 3pm (pg&e ToU) and then I’m focused on other things for rest of day. More often than not, I get to bed to find a near full hamper of clothes dumped where I sleep and then have to sort/fold/deliver. Bonus points if robot can sort different items to different stacks/bundles.

I don’t need AI/robotics to save me time from having to think, research, or code… I need AI/robotics to save me time so I can think, research, or code.

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upvoteby 2 hours ago|
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upvoteby lowbloodsugar4 hours ago|
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My wife hates having other people in our house and we both hate cleaning. If it worked, we’d drop $5k no problem. It’ll be $5k and a $50/mo sub? Sold!
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upvoteby traes3 hours ago|
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I have personally never met someone with a personal robotic lawnmower, and I suspect that if you have you live in a bubble that is severely biasing your view of the average American.
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upvoteby alnwlsn1 hours ago|
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My cousin has one. But he also lives on 5 acres, which is also not average either.

Apparently prices on them have gone way up. The one he has now would cost something like $6K today.

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upvoteby jameshart56 minutes ago|
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A product doesn’t need to appeal to or reach the average American to be a viable product.
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upvoteby traes53 minutes ago|
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Perhaps not, but I interpreted it as an intended counterexample to the GP's claim

> You'd have a hard time convincing most American families to purchase anything with a >$1000 price tag...

Which I am skeptical of.

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