Step inside the ‘human washing machine’! Bizarre device uses AI to analyze your skin before washing you with a customized 15-minute wash and dry treatment
For many people, a long relaxing soak in the tub is the perfect way to unwind after a stressful day.
But if you’re not the kind of person who has time for bubbles and scented candles, the perfect bath for you may soon be available.
Japanese engineers have created the ‘Mirai Ningen Sentakuki’ or ‘human washing machine of the future’.
This futuristic device uses AI to analyze your body before giving you a customized wash-and-dry process.
Science Co., the Osaka-based showerhead company behind this bizarre device, says the washing machine only takes 15 minutes to perform a full human rinse cycle.
The cockpit-shaped pod for a fighter jet is being prepared for the Osaka Kansai Expo in Japan, where 1,000 guests will have the chance to try it out.
But if you can’t make it all the way to Osaka, don’t worry, because Science Co. says it will release a mass-production version after the expo.
Company Chairman Yasuaki Aoyama shared this The Asahi Shimbun: ‘We are at about 70 percent.’
Japanese scientists have developed an AI-powered human washing machine that can deliver a customized wash and dry in just 15 minutes
Once a user climbs into the clear plastic capsule, the capsule is filled halfway with warm water.
They are then blown away by high-speed water jets containing extremely small air bubbles with a diameter of less than three micrometers.
When these bubbles burst, they produce a small but powerful pressure wave that removes dirt from the skin.
This is the same process used in industry to clean electrical components that cannot be washed with chemicals.
Science Co. However, says that its human washing machine not only cleans the body, but can also ‘wash’ the mind with the help of artificial intelligence.
As the user receives their wash, electrodes implanted in the chair collect their biological information to ensure the bather is washed at the correct temperature.
At the same time, an AI interprets this information to figure out whether they are calm or excited and projects a specifically selected video onto the inside of the plastic capsule to calm their nerves.
The result, according to Science Co. should be a quick wash, leaving the bather feeling physically and mentally refreshed.
Osaka-based company Science Co. makes the human washing machine (pictured) for the Osaka Kansai Expo in April, but says a home version will be released afterward
The device is filled halfway with warm water before using rapid jets of microscopic bubbles to blow away dirt and grime
While this device may seem like something from the future, it is actually based on a 50-year-old design.
At the 1970 Japan World’s Fair, Sanyo Electric Co., now Panasonic Holdings Corp., presented the very first human washing machine.
Like the modern version, the original Sanyo washing machine used hot water and microbubbles to blow swimmers clean in record time.
The big difference was that this 1970s version also included dozens of plastic “massage balls” that pelted the user to help relax and promote circulation.
Although the device was never commercially released, its public unveiling at the World’s Fair captured the public’s attention.
At a time in Japan when private baths were still somewhat of a luxury, long lines formed to try out the device.
One of the people in that line was Mr. Aoyama, the current chairman of Science Co., who was only nine years old at the time.
Now, more than 50 years later, Mr. Aoyama, as head of a company specializing in shower heads and baths, is finally ready to release an updated version of his dream bath.
A sensor is attached to the chair that is connected to an electrocardiograph, which measures the bather’s heart rate. An AI interprets this information to see if the user is stressed and plays a soothing video on the walls of the pod
The device is intended as an evolution of the first human washing machine first shown by Sanyo Electric Co., now Panasonic Holdings Corp. at the Japan World Exposition (photo). The original device was filled with plastic massage balls that pelted the bather while washing
Mr. Aoyama added, “It made me excited to think about what kind of future there would be.
‘We will offer a new human washing machine as a legacy of the 1970 expo.’
Science Co. has even collaborated with two of the Sanyo device’s original engineers to help bring its designs into the 21st century.
Eiji Yamaya, who oversaw the development of the human washing machine, explained The Mainichi that this project has given him the opportunity to fix some of the flaws in the original device.
He says: ‘In my time, the human washing machine only washes the body, but this time an advanced function has been added that uses sensors to determine the condition of the body. I want the world to see Japan’s technological capabilities.”
Science Co. has not yet confirmed when this device will be available for public purchase or how much it will cost when it finally does.
MailOnline has contacted Science Co. for more information.