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The Circo dishwasher has a handle on washing dishes

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The Circo manual dishwasher is designed for use on the countertop, as a replacement for the dish-drying rack
Chen Levin
The Circo manual dishwasher is designed for use on the countertop, as a replacement for the dish-drying rack
Chen Levin
The Circo manual dishwasher is operated by turning its side-mounted handle
Chen Levin
The handle of the Circo manual dishwasher can move up and down as required
Chen Levin
The front of the Circo manual dishwasher opens so that dishes can be loaded in
Chen Levin
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This student designed dishwasher should be much cheaper to buy or run than the typical model. There's a reason for that – it's powered by hand. The Circo manual dishwasher is designed for use where space is limited, or by people who cannot afford an electric dishwasher.

In addition to offering a compromise between the convenience of an electric dishwasher and the low cost of washing dishes by hand, the Circo dishwasher is said to be environmentally friendly. Not only does it require no electricity to run, but designer Chen Levin says it uses only 3 l (0.7 gal) of water compared to the 10 l (2.2 gal) of a typical dishwasher.

The Circo is designed in such a way that it can replace the dish-drying rack. Once it has been used to cleanse a set of dishes, the dishes can be left to drip-dry in the same space. To operate the device, users need only fill the removable base-tray with water, add a sodium acetate tablet that serves to heat the water and help with the cleansing process, and begin turning the side-mounted handle.

The mechanism works in a similar way to a normal dishwasher, with a centrifuge that sprays water up from the base. Levin tells Gizmag that creating this mechanism was the most challenging part of the design, and he's understandably reluctant to give away much more information about this part of his design. What he does say, though, is that a full load of dishes takes just one minute to clean.

Levin explains that he began designing the Circo dishwasher in November 2014 as part of a university project. Part of the design brief was to simplify a complex technology so as to make it accessible to people to whom it might otherwise not be. Levin opted to focus on a kitchen appliance, and the Circo dishwasher is now said to be at the final prototype stage, with investment being sought.

The video below provides an overview of the Circo dishwasher.

Source: Chen Levin

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17 comments
Chuck Anziulewicz
Or you could simply was your dishes, glasses, and silverware in the SINK like everyone else who doesn't have a dishwasher. And trust me, you'll get everything a lot cleaner than that little spritzer.
Milton
for the first-world countries (which judging by the marble counter-tops in the pitch video, I'd say is their target market)... just buy a counter-top electric dish-washer that plugs into your faucet.
Best $230 I ever spent.
Bob Shock
If you had a large dog, you could train him to lick off the dishes and get better results, plus the only waste would be something you have to clean up anyway!
Gavin Roe
I am thinking you could replace the handle with an electric motor to operate the pump and spay nozzles then you have a much larger market place
HiëronymusWalker
If I have just 3 plates, 2 cups and a few forks to clean I can do it by hand. The point of a dishwasher is large capacity and this thing does not even have medium capacity. On top of that it is imo a horrendous looking thing.
Recon7
I can see this as a viable engineering experiment for a class or something but do not see this as a viable real world solution. Sure it works, but it does not address an actual existing problem.
A person in need of space or electricity is likely focused on other issues rather than having a machine to was dishes.
Buzzclick
With all the valid comments below, the shiny and clear acrylic housing ain't gonna look so nice and new after only a half dozen washes.
Fail.
CarolynR
Using sodium acetate to 'heat the water and help with the cleansing process'? How does that benefit ecology/environment/energy consumption? This is a wholly unnecessary gadget, that fails to consider the whole life cycle of the material from which it is made, and what it consumes in use. Today's electric dishwashers are low in terms of water, detergent and energy used per plate, and if run full are very efficient. If you have a small household, wash up in a bowl or use a small dishwasher. It will also last longer than this.
grtbluyonder
I have a hand powered dish washer, it is called my hands. When used with a "sink", water and soap my process can clean even odd shaped utensils, deep glasses and will remove burned food from pans, all manually. Amazing.
dink
The primary advantage of using a real dish washer is how hot the water gets. Even if the dish isn't clean looking, you know it is sterile. This, not so much.