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Is there a robot for that?

Robots you can't buy yet

Some chores have no robot on the market. Each plan says what open-source arms and robot learning can do today, what it costs, and what still doesn't work. Every part and claim links to its source.

Build plans

  1. Fold laundry

    Two SO-101 arm pairs, LeRobot and a policy you train yourself, aimed at folding a towel. T-shirts take far more.    About $550

  2. Wash dishes

    XLeRobot, an open two-arm robot on an IKEA cart, trained to clear a cup and plate into a rack. A full dishwasher is still out of reach.    About $800

  3. Watch a ranch water trough

    An open-source LoRaWAN sensor that pings your phone when a stock trough runs low. About $91 in parts per trough and no monthly fee.    About $91 a trough

  4. Walk over with a reminder

    PhoneBot, UCLA's open-source walking robot with an old Android phone for a brain, aimed at finding you with a reminder. Flat floors only, and its code isn't public yet.    About $538 plus an old phone

  5. Check the trough with a rover

    SKD-1, an open-source ROS 2 rover, paired with the trough sensor. When the level looks wrong, it drives a saved GPS route and sends back photos. Short range, and untested on a ranch.    About $1,617 plus the trough sensor

  6. Build a survival AI box

    Survival LLM, a free offline AI with 1.5 million articles, in a Pelican case with a 48 GB mini PC, a screen, a 572 Wh battery and a solar panel. Not medical advice, and it can't call for help.    About $1,793 (budget $1,364)

  7. Cook

    Plan in progress. Can you buy one yet?

  8. Cut hair

    Plan in progress. Can you buy one yet?

  9. Paint walls

    Plan in progress. Can you buy one yet?