Why Can't All Laundry Machines Be This Cool?

If you hate doing laundry, you are not the only one - It is boring and a total waste of time. Unless of course you have access to this 'amusement washing machine' built by Lee Wei Chen, a design student at London's Kingston University.

As the name suggests, the washing machine makes the mundane task of doing laundry more interesting by integrating it with what we all love doing most - Playing video games!

But if you think all you have to do is place a load of laundry and play until it is done, you are in for a surprise. That's because the University student has linked the circuitry of the washing machine and the arcade so that it puts the users gaming skills to test.

Each player begins by putting three Sterling Pound coins into the machine. This not only starts the laundry cycle, but also, gives the player three lives.

Then the games begin - literally! In order to complete the washing cycle, the gamer has to reach a certain level without losing all the lives. If he/she doesn't, the washing machine will stop cold and not move to the next level, until more money is added.

Lee, who says he still has a hard time figuring out normal washing machines, came up with the idea after realizing how much time he was wasting playing video games - With this machine he can do something productive and, have fun.

This prototype is part of Lee's school project, which means it is not available commercially. We can only hope that laundry machine manufacturers' see the light soon and machines like this become available along with dryers that complement them! Now, if only someone could figure out a way to make folding clothes more fun - Any ideas?

Resources: kingston.ac.uk