Home Appliances for Germophobes, Environmentalists

Sanyo had a nice display of personal technology which I'll talk about later, but first let me introduce you to two items I spotted on the CES floor worth mentioning. Both currently available only in Japan, but they should give you an idea of what we'll see in our homes in the near future—at least, I hope we do.

AQUA Washing Machine

First let me introduce you to the AQUA washing machine. This is the world's first washing machine to do two things: it recycles water from the first wash, and it air washes clothes to remove odors. A function Sanyo calls Aqualoop cleans the final rinse water, then infuses it with ozone so it can be used in a few more washes. This feature conserves up to 50 liters of water.

Another function called Air Wash eliminates bacteria and odors from clothing that requires dry cleaning. When clothes are being Air Washed, they are being injected with air infused with Ozone which kills odors and bacteria in about 30 minutes. Perfect for items that cannot be washed in water, or coats reeking of smoke or pet odor. Sanyo also designed the machine in "Kitchen Work Style" which means the drum is conveniently placed higher for people standing up.

Virus Washer

Sanyo also had several air systems on display that wash the air to purify it. Recently introduced in August 2006, these systems are available for both home and business use, and equipped with the virus washer system that uses electrolyzed water to kill 99 percent of all airborne viruses, bacteria, mold, and allergens. Sanyo claims their new proprietary Virus Wash technology was able to suppress more than 99 percent of airborne avian flu viruses! The systems are available in Japan, but there are plans to go global, starting with Indonesia, China, Vietnam, and other countries where air quality is a concern.