# Laundering Robots Willow Garage PR2 Will Knock Your Socks Off, Then Sort Them By Josh Milenthal | Published 2010-08-23 | Tech Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/pr2-robot References: [engadget](http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/21/willow-garage-pr2-robot-learns-to-sort-socks-for-10k-prize-vid/) & [willowgarage](http://www.willowgarage.com/pages/robots/pr2-overview) The Willow Garage PR2 robot is a sophisticated robot that is soon to be [commercially available](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/service-robot1). The robot is unique in that, instead of having to rebuild the hardware system and implement new code to have the robot perform a new task, programmers are able to create new functionality on the robot on the fly. The PR2 robot is capable to doing many things, such as [sorting laundry](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/zera-lab-launbot) and pairing up socks. It's also able to host outrageous raves as seen in the video below: ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 1.7/10 - Popularity: 13% | Activity: 29% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 30% men, 70% women - Primary generations: Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: North America, Asia ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Tech](https://www.trendhunter.com/tech) > [AI](https://www.trendhunter.com/ai) ## Key Themes ### What's Driving This Trend - **Flexible Robotics:** The PR2's ability to have new functionality created on the fly presents opportunities for the development of flexible robotics. - **Automation in Laundry Services:** The PR2's ability to perform tasks such as sorting laundry presents an opportunity for automation in the laundry services industry. - **AI-assisted Assistance:** The PR2's AI-enabled capacity presents opportunities for developments in AI-assisted assistance services. ### Who This Affects Most - **Robotics Industry:** The advent of the PR2 robot presents a disruption opportunity in the robotics industry. - **Laundry Services Industry:** The PR2's ability to perform laundry-related tasks presents opportunities for disruption in the laundry services industry. - **Assisted Assistance Industry:** The PR2's AI-enabled capacity presents opportunities for disruption in the assisted assistance industry. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Prototype Robotic Laundry Systems](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/electrolux-laundry-robot.md) - [Laundry-Folding Humanoids](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/figures-helix.md) - [AI-Powered Laundry Robots](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/tenet-ai-laundry-robot.md) - [Dishwasher-Loading Humanoids](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/figure-02.md) - [Adaptive Automated Cleaning Device](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/automated-cleaning-device.md) - [Humanoid Chore Robots](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/mindon-unitree-g1.md) - [Compact Washer-Dryer Robots](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/washerdryer-robot.md) - [Autonomous Carpet-Scrubbing Robots](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/robot-carpet-cleaner.md) - [Open-Source Housekeeping Robots](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/housekeeping-robot.md)