/ 5 June 2007

Korean firm touts musical washing machine

Just in case anyone should desire such a thing, a South Korean firm has filed a patent in the United States for a musical washing machine.

The design for a machine with a built-in MP-3 player and speakers “is just a concept art but we have the technology to produce a washing machine that makes little noise”, LG Electronics spokesperson Kim Hyung-Jong said late on Monday.

South Koreans are addicted to gadgets, some of them seemingly pointless. The concept of a musical washtub has been ridiculed in the United States, Kim admitted.

CNET.com, a website carrying IT news, said this could be a case of patent-squatting — registering a potential invention on the off-chance that someone actually builds one in the future.

But a website comment said no one with an ounce of common sense would build something so hopeless.

Kim rejected the sarcasm, saying LG could develop a product with speakers on its lid any time if there is a good response and demand from consumers.

“An era of built-in home appliances is coming. In the near future, housewives may enjoy music while doing laundry and cooking at the same time in the kitchen,” he said. — AFP