The Mighty Drum

Cramped houses call for appliances and gadgets to be efficiently designed. Eco Pod is a sub-compact washing machine but don’t let the small size fool you, because as far as cleaning prowess goes, it utilizes advanced steam-cleaning technology. It uses “wet” steam for washing and superheated “dry” steam to for drying. The clothes can be sorted into the three baskets or pods that accompany the machine and cleaned in separate cycles.

As soon as one pod gets loaded with clothes, you simply hook it to the wall-mount machine, where it functions like a washing drum. What I really admire is the focus on blending the machine into the home environment by suggesting timber finishing and white gloss.

On the eco front, the machine doesn’t require soapy suds for cleaning, so the residual grey water is nontoxic and can be used for watering plants. Finally, steam being a pressurized form of water, is used in lesser quantity than compared to an average front loading washing machine, which use almost 66.7 liters per cycle.

The Eco Pod is a shortlisted entry in the 2011 Australian Design Award-James Dyson Award.

The James Dyson Award is an international design award that celebrates, encourages and inspires the next generation of design engineers. It’s run by the James Dyson Foundation, James Dyson’s charitable trust, as part of its mission to inspire young people about design engineering.

Designer: Simon Hedt