Energy efficient washing machine uses only one cup of water

Washing machines are typically anything but exciting or even all that interesting. However, this design conserves so much water and energy that it is definitely worth a look or two.

The washing machine uses only one cup of water per load. It makes this possible by tossing in a bunch of small plastic chips into the mix. The plastic chips absorb the dirt in your clothing, then the water is heated up enough to dissolve the dirt on the chips.

At the end of the wash it removes the chips by a grill opening up and they fall out of your clothing. The chips can be used up to 100 times. The washing machine itself uses 2% of the energy that the average washing machine uses. One extra perk is that it leaves the clothing virtually dry, which means it won't have to be in your dryer nearly as long.

[via dvice]