CES 2018: At $980, FoldiMate Laundry Folding Machine is Too Pricey for a Small Inconvenience

When you have enough money in the bank, even small inconveniences like folding freshly washed laundry can be automated. That’s what FoldiMate laundry folding robot is intended to do at a steep price tag of $980. Initially, the prototype was revealed in mid-2016, and then later at CES 2017. This robotic clothes folding machine developed in collaboration with BSH home appliance group is currently being showcased at CES 2018, with some practical improvements.

Gal Rozov, Founder and CEO of FoldiMate, said;

I started this journey with a humble goal to help out with laundry folding in my home. My family is eagerly waiting for our own FoldiMate and the team has worked hard to meet our expectations and those of fans around the world. We’re excited with the improved model and now we want it in our homes as soon as possible. 

Almost the size of a washing machine, this laundry folding mate folds, and stacks all sizes of shirts, pants, and buttoned-up blouses, as well as standard size towels and pillowcases. It works best with average-sized clothing and laundry items, so small items like socks, undergarments are off the menu for now. The prototype version of the machine had de-wrinkling and fragrance add-on features, but they have been ditched for better cloth folding technology.

This robotic machine folds up all your clothes in a neat pile which is a convenience, but is it worth the money? Considering that you still have to feed the clothes into the machine in a particular manner, it seems like yet another way to spend cash if you are filthy rich. Perhaps, it could be a worthy investment for laundry shops who have to sort and fold clothes in bulk.

But if you still find folding your clothes to be a herculean task, then FoldiMate’s updated model is currently available for preorder (through an early deposit of $85), on an invite basis. Priced at $980, the machine will be ready for shipping in late 2019 across the US.

Highlighting features

• Power: Standard 110v – 240v
• Under four minutes, it can fold an average laundry load of between 20-40 items in about four minutes. The folding speed also varies according to sizes and types of clothes.
• Clothes drawer with capacity about 10-15 items.
• It works simultaneously as long as you continue clipping clothes.
• Cool design that makes it able to be placed into any room of a home.
• The de-wrinkling and fragrance features would be included in future models according to demand. 

Update:

Foldimate is going to showcase their improved prototype at CES 2019 and it adapts automatically to the cloth type and size. The latest version folds 25 laundry items (including shirts, tops, blouses, pants or medium sized towels) in less than 5 minutes which is great. The design has also got an upgrade as the laundry folding machine looks less like an appliance since people plan to use it in their bedrooms, spare rooms or living rooms.

We hope to see a price drop too for this futuristic appliance at the upcoming CES 2019 and we’ll have all the details right away.     

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