The washing machine is without a doubt one of the most important inventions of the last 300 years? More? The first examples date back to the 17th century, but today we basically have spaceships that wash, dry, perfume, and run Doom. Now, there is a detail not everyone knows, and that is that the folks at Sanyo explored the possibility of adapting the same concept to personal hygiene. The Sanyo Ultrasonic Bath had pre-wash and rinse cycles, with germicidal phases of infrared and ultraviolet light... all in 15 minutes.
They say "necessity is the mother of invention," but if there is one need that stands out above the rest, it is saving time, or as an alternative, optimizing it. Automating laundry is one of the most compelling examples: yes, there are still regions where it is all washed by hand using river currents, but if we set aside negative aspects like the "crapification" of the latest models (in which a firmware update or a bearing can put the device out of commission), the truth is that the modern washing machine represents a triumph.
So, why not take that success further? Not going too far, car washes do an adequate job with vehicles, but today I invite you to travel to the World Expo that Osaka Prefecture organized in 1970. Under the motto "Progress and Harmony for Mankind," the expo gave rise to a wide number of fantastic designs, and one of them was the Sanyo Ultrasonic Bath... a washing machine for humans.
Sanyo Ultrasonic Bath, and the future of personal hygiene in 1970
All the demonstrations followed (more or less) the same pattern: a model wearing very basic garments entered the washing chamber via a ladder, but her head remained exposed at the top (although it was also possible to stick out her arms). After specifying the temperature, the machine began firing jets of warm water, basically a pre-wash.
Five minutes later, the machine filled the chamber with hot water for a three-minute "ultrasonic bath," followed by a two-minute rinse. The last phase consisted of draining the chamber, hot air currents to dry the model, and a session of infrared and ultraviolet light as a germicidal action. In total, the complete cycle didn't exceed 15 minutes.
Obviously, the Sanyo Ultrasonic Bath never left its prototype phase. First, the device is giant. Second, it completely ignores hair. And third, some parts of the human body require certain manual access for proper hygiene. However, the idea of a "washing machine for human beings" never fully disappeared, and the prototype is preserved at the Panasonic museum, which acquired Sanyo in 2009.
Source and images: Core77
