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Pre Project Work
The concept started when the inventor saw and heard their traditional washing machine dancing and bouncing around the kitchen during the spin cycle; could there be an alternative, a washing machine that didn't have a rotating drum?
Through personal contacts, a meeting was arranged with the R&D Director of Reckitt Benckiser. After trying to explain to him what the concept was about, the Director suggested building a physical demonstrator, to show what it does, how it does it, and what it looks like.
A cardinal point specification was drawn up, indicating operational, technical, and dimensional parameters, along with a basic schematic for the air and water circuits, and these would be embodied within a basic rig. This rig was a true prototype, constructed from a mixture of repurposed parts, from washer dryers, fridges, and new builds, demonstrating the basic functionality, while also mimicking the dimensional footprint of a conventional washing machine.
Functionality
The concept started when the inventor saw and heard their traditional washing machine dancing and bouncing around the kitchen during the spin cycle; could there be an alternative, a washing machine that didn't have a rotating drum?
Through personal contacts, a meeting was arranged with the R&D Director of Reckitt Benckiser. After trying to explain to him what the concept was about, the Director suggested building a physical demonstrator, to show what it does, how it does it, and what it looks like.
A cardinal point specification was drawn up, indicating operational, technical, and dimensional parameters, along with a basic schematic for the air and water circuits, and these would be embodied within a basic rig.
This rig was a true prototype, constructed from a mixture of repurposed parts, from washer dryers, fridges, and new builds, demonstrating the basic functionality, while also mimicking the dimensional footprint of a conventional washing machine.
Testing
Following construction, there was a period of testing and experimentation of the water and air circuits; pump and blower flows; spray apertures; vane arrangements; soaking and condensing capabilities; door seals; and detergent swirl rates—the list seemed almost endless.
The rig allowed all of these to be tested and observed. The functionality was excellent and, most importantly, it worked, showing that clothes could be washed and dried without the noisy drum and restrictive access.
Exterior design
As any true prototype, there were parts, pipes and pumps with temporary fixings, gaffer tape and loosely bundled cables, there were other components extending beyond the footprint of a conventional washing machine.
Whilst this was effective for testing purposes, we didn't want our concept to be judged on it, as little resource had been dedicated to the exterior finish, nor to the potential for a marketable product.
Project partner, the Gatsby Trust, suggested working with industry experts, Echo Brand Design, on design and functionality.
Future Testing
Another mentor, a Director within Unilever, specified the Industry standard patch tests we would need to conduct, to demonstrate that non-rotational washing of clothes is effective and he suggested further R&D would yield mutual benefits and assist with the maturing of the concept, market analysis, and exploitation.
It also has to be stated the Unilever Director had complete confidence that the concept would work from the outset.
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Exploitation
One of the inventor's mentors, from United Utilities, suggested the project move in the following two ways: first, to seek external funding to bring additional expertise for the Research and Development, and, second, to look at IPR, to protect and exploit the ideas.
An application was made for an Innovation Voucher, worth £15,000, from the North West Regional Development Agency, the voucher had to be spent with local R&D organisations.
We would hope to use the cardinal point specification we'd drawn up as the basis for future rigs. The stated goals of the application were to replicate the test results achieved on the initial demonstrator and to independently assess the effectiveness of the concept.
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