By Emma Hutchings, Source: PSFK

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Industrial designer Chan Yeop Jeong from Korea has created a washing machine design concept as part of the Electrolux Design Lab. Pecera washes clothes without detergent, instead using robotic fish that eat people’s dead skin cells and dirt inside the clothes.

The collection of robot fish (called ‘Dofi’) offer an effective and sustainable way of removing dirt and cleaning clothes. They were inspired by doctor fish, which can make people’s skin clean and healthy by feeding on dead skin or an affected area. The Dofi run on hydroelectric power and clean garments by detecting dirt with a tiny embedded camera.
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Their sucker-shaped mouth washes the clothes by easily eating the dirt, as the alkaline liquid jelly of each Dofi splits and absorbs dirt molecules of fiber sustainably to clean it. When the jelly touches the fiber, it loosens the coherence between the fiber and dirt on the clothes to split, feed on, and absorb it.

While there is concern over oxidation and discoloration of fiber when using detergent, this eco-friendly way of washing using the alkaline liquid jelly prevents oxidation and discoloration of fiber, so consumers don’t have to worry about damage to their textiles. As this method doesn’t use detergent, it is suitable even for the most sensitive people, and there is no need for multiple washing cycles as the first layer spin-dries and drains off the water.

Read more at: PSFK