I-Corps: Ultrasonic appliances

University Of Washington, Seattle WA

Investigators

Abstract

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is the development of nontraditional washers and dryers. People living in rural areas including Alaska, often cite water as a scarce resource and often visit a washateria/laundromat or haul water to wash their clothing. Many homes do not have the water hookups needed for a washing machine, and it often takes a day to do laundry by hand. Current laundry appliances rely on large-scale mechanical agitation for washing and heat-driven evaporation of retained water for drying. The average washing machine uses 20 gallons of water to operate and uses hot and cold water hook-ups for operation. The standard dryer requires a 240-volt dedicated circuit. Clothes dryers account for 6% of residential energy usage and are responsible for 40 million metric tons of annual carbon dioxide emissions. The proposed technology leverages ultrasound to reduce the energy and water consumption of home laundry appliances while combining the processes into one low-cost appliance. These factors not only reduce the cost of ownership but make the proposed appliance more accessible to smaller dwellings. This I-Corps project is based on the development of an accessible, all-in-one ultrasonic washer and dryer to save time, space, and resources in environments that lack the traditional infrastructure for washers and dryers. The core technology is an ultrasonic transducer array that enables washing and drying to be performed with less energy and water in a single, compact appliance. Ultrasound is used to drive the creation of bubbles. Upon collapse, they generate a localized force and heat which gently expels dirt out of clothing. In the drying process, the technology uses ultrasonic atomization to cut drying time and use less power, allowing for the use of a standard wall outlet. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.