Ironing for DUMMIES

The next time it's ironing day at your house, tell your parents a dummy could do it-really. Researchers in Spain have invented a robot that can dry and iron shirts. Available so far only in Europe for about $1000, the "Dressman" robot is an inflatable sack in the shape of a human torso and arms. It's made from the same silk used to make hot-air balloons. Just dress the deflated dummy in your damp, wrinkled shirt, and press the button. A heating box inside the sack inflates the dummy with hot air until it expands to fill the shirt, pressing out any creases as it dries the shirt. About eight minutes later, your shirt is wrinkle-free and ready to wear.

The Dressman is not the first robot designed to perform household chores. Vacuum-cleaning, lawn-mowing, and floor-scrubbing robots are also available for home use. Now, if only someone would invent a bed-making robot . . .

-Alison Ross

Copyright Carus Publishing Company Oct 2004
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