Glimpses Of The Future, A WashDryIron Machine?
from the go-go-gadget-laundry dept
Since the development of the modern washing machine in the 1900s, the washing machine hasn’t really progressed that much (sure, there have been several attempts at net-connected machines, but those have never amounted to much). While we no longer have to lug our clothing down to the river and hang it up to dry, laundry is still an all day chore. We still have to put clothes in the machine, add detergent, move the clothes to the dryer, fold the clothes, and (in some cases) iron them. A British college student created a machine that washes, dries and irons clothing all by itself. While I do have concerns over the size of the machine (the fridge sized machine looks like it holds only 16 shirts), the idea is that laundry can be done without tethering us to the laundry room all day. If it’s no longer necessary to think about laundry in terms of “loads”, perhaps there’s a day when you never have to worry about having dirty clothes — after you’re done wearing something, you put it back in the machine, and it’s automatically cleaned, dried and folded back into the closet. Aha! That’s how the Jetsons managed to wear the same thing every day. Next on the list, a car that folds up into your briefcase.
Comments on “Glimpses Of The Future, A WashDryIron Machine?”
Disposable clothes?
Clothing prices, at least for casual wear, feel like they have steadily declined over my lifetime. There is an almost infinite supply of poor countries making clothes today. Nobody puts patches on their pants or jackets anymore — I’m old enough to remember when many kids had them. When will we start having disposable underwear, t-shirts?
Re: Disposable clothes?
I can but any piece of clothing for $8 at Steve & Barrys, seems like it would be sheaper to buy new clothes every week then to wash them. http://www.steveandbarrys.com
Re: Disposable clothes?
$8? Heck why hasn’t thought about all of us walking around nude? Even better if you’re a telecomuter so you don’t have to see your co-workers naked!
No Subject Given
His technique relies on hanging clothes and keeping them in that position through the wash/dry/iron process. Since there’s only space for 16 clothing items that seems like it would actually be more work since you’ve not got to treat each item indivually through the entire process, rather than dump a load of laundry in the washer, move it to the dryer and then fold each item indivually. I really doubt this machine will be commercially successful, as I doubt it will end up saving much time.
Re: No Subject Given
Are you perhaps the words fastest laundry washer? I don’t know about the rest of you but this looks like it will save me a Lot of time. Any device that saves me from having to iron is a good thing for me.
Re: Re: Patent Trolling
Quick go patent it so you can sue every other appliance company that tries to make one!
Re: No Subject Given
“His technique relies on hanging clothes and keeping them in that position through the wash/dry/iron process. Since there’s only space for 16 clothing items that seems like it would actually be more work since you’ve not got to treat each item indivually through the entire process, rather than dump a load of laundry in the washer, move it to the dryer and then fold each item indivually. I really doubt this machine will be commercially successful, as I doubt it will end up saving much time.”
i dunno… 16 items is probably equal to about a small to medium size load. since laundry always took so long, people usually wait til then *needed* to do laundry, cause the wash cycle and dry cycle always took the same amount of time (though folding and ironing was directly proportional to how much laundry there was). since you wouldn’t be required to do any of that, this allows you to do laundry more often with smaller loads. therefore the size of the loads isn’t that much of a problem.
No Subject Given
That’s why I have a maid. I suppose there are actually people in the world that clean their own toilets too. SHUDDER.
No Subject Given
Oddly I think this has to be the biggest advancement in common sense. Or just the random funny for techdirt. Still it could become something practical maybe 50 years down the road of course. Kudos to the Jetsons refrence too, loved that show!
Space Equiptment??
have you seen how the thing looks?!?!?!?!?
it looks like some fancy space gadget from the future.
besides the way it looks… I think it’s a waste. and looking from an environmentalists point of view… it doesn’t sound to energy star material.
Robotic Research
Smeone will make a robot someday that will even be able to tell the colors and fabrics of clothing to do it for you. It’s just getting the research and development that far.
Re: Robotic Research
I’ve always wondered why some company hasn’t come up with barcoding clothes with care instructions(actually RFID them!). Then, all you need is a machine to read the care information, sort the clothes, and wash them accordingly.
I’m on my way to start writing the patent now!
No this is how clothes are folded.
Lets automate this little device. I don’t mind moving clothes, its folding them.
http://www.all-tribes.info/hotstuffs/index.php?2006/01/20/1-first-post
No Subject Given
Unfortuantly somthing that this sounds like was already created by GE i believe. It was more of a device to dryclean clothse or have them dry in a closet/fridge sized case that could only hold a few shirts or pants. Really its just an expansion of the idea, just like most of our alledge modern technology, which has roots in ancient times. You think we’d be a bit more creative and invent things no one has thought of…
Ok
Why would anyone want to replace a standard washer/dryer with this big hunk of pointless nothingness. It may have some potential, literally none. I would much rather see a machine that washes and drys in the same unit, that would save time. If you woried about wrinkles, wash and dry less at a time and use heat. Just my take.
The Japanese have them, why are we so far behind?