the open source washing machine project

This solar clothes washer was made by 2nd year art students from the École Supérieure d’Art d’Aix-en-Provence (France). The challenge was to make a DIY washing machine using only materials available in the sahara. The prototype shown above uses bicycle parts (the tires and wheel), bamboo, and a solar panel connected directly to a recycled electric motor (from a photocopier).

The Open Source Washing Machine project was created by France Cadet, Jean-Noël Montagné and Jean-Pierre Mandon at the École Supérieure d’Art d’Aix-en-Provence. Three machines were designed by the 2nd-year students over a three-day period.

Here’s a short video and photos. More about the project at oswash.org.

I’m looking at the machine right now and trying to resist the urge to do my laundry in the school’s patio :)