As a worldwide web of IoT (Internet of Things) gadgets comes online, daily life seems to take on more and more of a Futurama-esque quality. We all remember that pretty much everything from the toaster to the greeting cards have a mind of their own in the show, and that’s quickly becoming the norm in reality. Case in point: This autonomous trash can that’s able to take itself out to the curb. Hopefully nobody will teach it to… talk trash any time soon.
Although the autonomous trash can in the clip isn’t for sale as of this writing, we’re going to go ahead and slap a big ol’ Shut up and take my money meme on the prototype anyway. Because one can only imagine the feeling of elation people would have as they sipped their morning beverage of choice while watching their garbage cans roll themselves down driveways.
Rezzi, the startup company behind the “SmartCan” in the clip (which comes via Gizmodo), seems to be made up of one person: Founder and CEO Andrew Murray. Murray, who graduated with a B.S. in mechanical engineering from Tufts University, came up with the concept for Protolabs’ “Cool Idea Award” manufacturing grant. The grant aims to help “early-stage companies and entrepreneurs bring innovate products to market through service grants that support product development.”
Protolabs, a manufacturer of “rapid prototypes,” wrote in its release for the Rezzi SmartCan that it comes with a corresponding smartphone app that allows people to deploy their autonomous cans like they deploy robot vacuum cleaners. The SmartCan can be scheduled to roll out on specific days at specific times, and it does, of course, return itself to whence it came. Probably to its own charging station, although it’s not exactly clear if that’s the case.
“We want to help people eliminate unnecessary chores from their daily lives,” Murray says in the Protolabs post for the SmartCan, adding that “We see an opportunity to take IoT beyond just turning off lights or turning on music, and really help alleviate the burden of the mundane physical tasks that everyone faces.”
Although it seems like being a robot trash can may become a burden in itself.
What do you think of this autonomous trash can? Would you buy one or do you think doing humble chores makes you a better person? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
Feature image: SmartCan via Today7