Robot Appliances May Transform Housework
(From a Heulei Correspondent)
NEW YORK.
Revolutionary scientific and engineering advances will transform the houses of ordinary persons in the next 25 years and increasingly eliminate the drudgery from the work of housewives.
Gadgets galore are in the making, according to time and labour saving experts, who predict that in the not too distant future silent, efficient robots will be commonplace in many homes.
A list of devices already far advanced in laboratories and almost ready to make their bow in showrooms, makes delightful reading for any woman to whom cooking is a nuisance and cleaning the floor sheer punishment. This list includes: a remote control cooking range; a cupboard in which clothes would be drycleaned overnight by ultra-sonic waves: a laundry machine which washes, diies, presses and folds shirts and linen: a combination freezer-cooker which automatically moves food from the freezer to the oven, then cooks and serves it; and a gadget which scrubs, rinses and dries the floor without human aid. If these automatic servants sound too fanciful, housewives have the word of appliance engineers that they are also feasible. Mr John Craig, vice-president of an electric corporation, declared recently: “It is conceivable that we shall see more revolutionary appliance developments within the next five years than we have in the last 25.” Mr James Oberly, vice-presi-dent of another large firm, supported this statement: “You will see a lot of big advances in the next 10 years.” he said. Another leading engineer said that women were no longer interested in mere changes of style, but were keenly interested in “demonstrable advances.” This attitude was acting as a spur to the industry, he said. Cooks and Serves Typical of the kind of behind-the-scenes work now going on is an experiment being conducted by an electric company at its research laboratory at Louisville. Kentucky. There, engineers are testing an automatic conveyer which transfers food from freezer to oven. In 35 minutes, this contraption thaws and cooks a complete meal consisting of meat, potatoes, vegetables, and apple pie. The device stores 14 different kinds of food and any six can be combined for a meal. When the food is cooked, a chime rings, the meal is put on a tray and pops out of a small door. Prices Falling Electronic ranges of this kind are already on the market. But their cost is high. Prices, however, are falling, and one maker has just completed a complete range for about £320. A normal electric range costs about £125 here. Some manufacturers forecast further price cuts for the electronic models. Another gadget which should please housewives is the selfpropelled serving trolley. This, at the push of a button, slides out of a recess in the wall, picks up dirty dishes and then returns to its hiding place where it disposes of the left-overs and washes the dishes. Yet another device has been named “the mechanical maid.” It is a battery-operated gadget
which emerges from a niche to scrub, rinse and dry floors automatically. After finishing its chores, the cleaner returns to its niche and recharges its batteries. Hints of a mysterious device which may be available later this year, have come from Mr Chris Witting. an electric company vice-president. Although Mr Witting refuses to disclose what it is, he has said that it will be a portable appliance and “one which is totally new, which does something no product at present available will do.”
He also looks forward to the day when ultra-sonic waves will dry-clean clothes while their owners sleep. “The sound waves would detach the dirt from your clothes,” he explains. “You would hang your clothes up in the cupboard and they would come out clean the next day.” Midget television sets are also on the way. One company has announced that it has begun production of a 151 b set which can be used on the beach or in an aeroplane. Another company is experimenting with a 101 b set with an Bin screen.
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Bibliographic details
Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28985, 28 August 1959, Page 2
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669Robot Appliances May Transform Housework Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28985, 28 August 1959, Page 2
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