Laundry is one of the simplest housework chores — but it's also one of the worst. Sure, all you have to do is throw your dirty clothes into the washer, go about your routine and come back to throw them into the dryer. But then you actually have to fold it all. And where the heck do the rest of your socks really go?

Technology will continue to ensure that we'll continue to get lazier. Exhibit A: this washing machine of the future that will do the chore for you.

The product of collaboration between Panasonic, Daiwa House (Japan's largest homebuilder) and Seven Dreamers Laboratories, the Laundroid bot washes, dries and perfectly folds clothes. The machine can also recognize the type of laundry load — meaning it can separate clothing so you don't have to sort it out yourself.

The Laundroid started as a project back in 2008, and was introduced at this year's CEATEC consumer electronic show in Tokyo.

The consumer simply throws their laundry inside the machine and presses a button. The machine uses image analysis technology to then scan each item to recognize familiar patterns such as t-shirts, pants, etc., and then finishes by folding them neatly in an organized fashion. Seven hours later, the clothes come through the the shelf, so all you have to do is put them away.

Though we don't yet know what the retail price of the Laundroid will be, the size will be something like a refrigerator. The developers nevertheless said they will start taking pre-orders from big institutions for the "beta" machine of the future next year, though its full retail release won't be until 2019. Still, that means it will be only four short years until you can stop folding laundry forever.

Bringing your laziness to the max level, the developers also said they will introduce an integrated home system by 2020 that would allow users to dump dirty clothes from any part of their house — which will then appear in drawers: clean, folded and organized, without anyone having to lift a finger.

Via: Engadget