UK's Kingston University design student Lee Wei Chen realized that the skills he developed playing a lot of video games are practically useless in real life, so he set out to do something about it.
Behold, the washing machine/arcade combo, where the likelihood of getting your clothes cleaned depends on your ability to play the game:
The machine looks like an arcade style video console – but the bottom half of the unit is a washing machine, with the components’ circuitry linked together. Therefore, the washing cycle is dependent on the success of the person playing the game, meaning that if they struggle, extra coins are needed to make sure the washing cycle is completed.
Chen’s course leader, Colin Holden, says, ‘He’s chosen two instantly recognisable objects – a washing machine and an arcade game – to illustrate this idea. Together the two objects produce a striking new electronic device. It’s an extremely well-executed design concept.’
Despite the genius behind the idea, it seems Chen is still far from becoming a domestic god, remaining blissfully unaware of the nuances of actually washing clothes.
‘I don’t even know how to choose the programme,’ he says.
I sense a fatal flaw in Chen's project. I mean, clean clothes? What video gamers actually care about wearing clean clothes?