Stretch is an $18,000 robot that can vacuum your couch

Move over, Roomba.
 By 
Sasha Lekach
 on 
Stretch is an $18,000 robot that can vacuum your couch
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Stretch is a robot with a strong grip and it's ready to do your laundry.

Hello Robot launched the 50-pound bot on Tuesday. The startup was founded by Google's former robotics director, Aaron Edsinger, and Georgia Tech professor Charlie Kemp, who met at MIT.

The helpful robot can be teleoperated from a computer, although Hello Robot says it will eventually work autonomously. With the gripper, 3D camera, laser, and other sensors, and the help of open-source software, you can use the robot to open cabinet doors, grab a coffee cup, wipe down a table, or vacuum the couch.

Who needs a Roomba now?

Stretch's "research edition" goes on sale Tuesday. You can buy Stretch for your home for nearly $18,000 — but right now, the main customers are expected to be corporations and research teams. Eventually, it could be used to assist people with limited mobility. Hello Robot even sells a six-pack of Stretches for just under $100,000.

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Sasha Lekach

Sasha is a news writer at Mashable's San Francisco office. She's an SF native who went to UC Davis and later received her master's from the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. She's been reporting out of her hometown over the years at Bay City News (news wire), SFGate (the San Francisco Chronicle website), and even made it out of California to write for the Chicago Tribune. She's been described as a bookworm and a gym rat.


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