For apartment-dwellers who don't like going to laundromats, there are already compact washing machines – but what happens when the washed clothes need to be dried? Well, that's where the diminutive Morus Zero comes in.
Capable of drying up to 3.3 lb (1.5 kg) worth of clothes at one time, the Zero uses a pump to draw air out of its sealable inner chamber. This creates a vacuum inside, which allows water to evaporate from the clothing at a lower temperature than would otherwise be possible. As a result, less heat and therefore less energy is required, as compared to a conventional dryer of the same size.
A moisture sensor detects when the clothes are dry, then automatically stops the machine – a single drying cycle is claimed to take about 15 minutes. No venting is required, as the evaporated water is collected within a slide-out tray. Users are alerted when that tray needs to be emptied.
Additionally, an ultraviolet light within the dryer is used to kill a claimed 99.9 percent of bacteria that may be present in the clothing. Other features include a three-motor design that allows the drum to better tumble clothes by alternately turning back and forth in two directions, along with integrated push-button controls that let users set drying parameters.
Should you be interested, the Morus Zero is currently the subject of a Kickstarter campaign. A pledge of US$299 will get you one, when and if they reach production. The planned retail price is $549.
Source: Kickstarter
...I can't see why this idea couldn't be added to one of those, to reduce drying time...