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RFID Laundry Sorter

For all your laundry-sorting needs
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RFID's are nearly cheap enough to have one embedded into every piece of clothing a family owns. If you had this, and if you also had a database with the identity, properties, and owner of each item of clothing, you'd have the smarts required to implement an automated laundry sorter, which would separate lights from darks, by fabric, etc. before washing, separate for dryer heat levels between washing and drying, and sort into baskets according to owner after drying.

This could be combined with the previously posted "Sock Matching Machine" idea, with some simple way of joining socks that a machine could accomplish practically.

colorclocks, Jan 19 2009

Self-setting iron Self-setting_20iron
...could be used in conjunction with... [phoenix, Jan 20 2009]

[link]






       Also could sort by owner, length of time owned, weight, type of clothing... I would just keep changing this setting and watching the little claws or whatever get to work. It should be quite fast, I think.
daseva, Jan 20 2009
  

       With an RFID, clothes could be easily separated by owner using a robotic arm, feeding items into an automatic presser/folder.   

       Not practical for home application, but this idea makes way for a highly efficient, centralized laundry service that picks up your laundry daily at the curb, just like garbage and recycling. An entire community's laundry could be washed together in large vats. A centralized service could employ renewable solar and geothermal energy for water heating in ways that are impractical for the home laundry systems.   

       The RFID system would also be able to identify special washing needs, using just the right detergents and temperatures, thus avoiding felted sweaters, faded colors and pilled cottons.   

       Then the finished laundry would be delivered back to your home, freshly washed pressed and folded.   

       The RFID system would also be fantastic for the "lost and found" bin at my kid's school, and to settle disputes over who owns which mittens.   

       pastry++
gonzola, Jan 20 2009
  

       I don't want my clothes being washed with those from some shmuck who sat around all day getting cheese and meat all over his shirt. Perhaps it was veal and... gorgonzola.
daseva, Jan 20 2009
  

       //I don't want my clothes being washed with those from some shmuck who sat around all day getting cheese and meat all over his shirt// Or even worse.. sharing the wash with some guy who has a bad case of ringworm.
Jscotty, Jan 21 2009
  
      
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