The robot built by Weave is designed specifically for folding laundry using AI vision systems and fabric-handling mechanisms. The company says the full process — from identifying a garment to folding it — takes between 30 and 90 minutes per batch of clothes. The unit is not mobile, runs from a standard power outlet, and requires users to place clothing in a designated area where the robot can pick it up and process it.
The new robot is expensive. The manufacturer has set the purchase price at $7,999, a figure typical for early generations of AI-powered home robots but far higher than most premium household appliances. In addition, some companies in this segment offer subscription models for services or technical support that can cost anywhere from several hundred to several thousand dollars per year, depending on the level of AI updates and remote support provided.
Compared with subscription options, a one-time purchase may be more cost-effective for households planning heavy use — especially those who frequently fold laundry and want to avoid recurring monthly fees. A subscription priced at $450 per month equals $5,400 per year, meaning that in less than a year and a half the total payments would exceed the purchase price. The subscription model may still appeal to users who want to test the technology without a large upfront expense.
The device is currently in an early adoption phase, which also contributes to its high price. For most consumers it is likely to remain a premium product rather than a mass-market appliance. Similar solutions in the past — such as earlier prototype automatic folding machines — failed to achieve broad adoption due to high costs and limited capabilities.
Laundry-folding robots may represent only the beginning of a broader shift in automating everyday household tasks. Developers are already working on systems with more advanced fabric manipulation, humanoid models capable of operating washing machines or recognizing and organizing clothes, and integrated solutions combining AI with physical robotics.
In the future, such technologies could become more versatile, handling not only folding but also other repetitive tasks — such as sorting garments, organizing wardrobes, or assisting with cleaning — making them more attractive for both individual users and service businesses such as laundromats or outsourced housekeeping providers.