We got a glimpse of what future bathroom hygiene might entail last year, when inventor Donal Vitez took the wraps off his all-in-one handwashing and drying device. The prototype for the Robo-Washer was certainly rough around the edges, but the notion of plunging your mitts into some kind of one-stop hand sanitizing wonder machine was enough to catch our attention. Now Vitez is back with a revised Robo-Washer, which like its predecessor handles washing and drying affairs from beginning to end, but then recycles what little water it uses after each cycle.
The first iteration of the Robo-Washer appeared as a tall wooden crate with a stainless steel doggy bowl-shaped opening on top. Placing your hands in the bowl and rubbing them together saw them sprayed with high pressure soap water from all angles, before it then continued onto the drying cycle. The first version used around one cup of water per use, which was then drained after use.
Boldly named the Robo-Washer Revolution, the new and improved machine features a much more refined design, with a uniform stainless steel body from top to bottom. But that's not the most impressive upgrade. It does away with soap entirely and washes hands using a cup of antibacterial water instead. After each use, the unit filters and disinfects this very same water for the next set of grubby paws to be cleansed in, resulting in what Vitez claims to be hospital-grade hygiene.
Thus this company's noble quest has shifted from offering a convenient and contact-free way to prepare your hands for post-bathroom use, to addressing water wastage. Vitez claims that a conventional sink has at least 17 gallons (65 l) dribble down its drain each day never to be seen again, but this is just the beginning. He hopes that the recycling technology inside the Robo-Wash Revolution will also find applications in dishwashers, washing machines, showers and drinking fountains. Which is promising, because we're not entirely convinced everyone would be boarding this water recycling ship if it was purely anchored in the bacteria-filled waters of public restrooms.
Vitez won't reveal how much each unit will cost, but does say that it will pay for itself in as little as one year as a result of the soap saved.
You can see the Robo-Washer Revolution in use in the video below.
Source: Robo-Washer
