It does not look like science fiction the Japanese capsule that cleans, dries, and relaxes in 15 minutes.
It looks like a gadget from a futuristic movie, but in Japan it is already planned to be used and is taken very seriously an automatic cleaning capsule that sprays tiny bubbles on the body, monitors the pulse, reduces stress, and is now being marketed to the public for the first time. Hotels are next, electronics chains are joining and the price is crazy.
The “washing machine for humans,” which stole the show at the World Expo in Osaka a few months ago, is now becoming an official product in the Japanese market.
It may sound like a gimmick, but in Japan hygiene is taken very seriously.
It is a 2.3-meter long capsule in which a user enters, lies down, closes the lid, and receives a full cleaning treatment from head to toe.
There is no rotation like in a washing machine, of course, but the experience is similar to a spa, only completely automatic.
Fifteen minutes inside the cabin and that is it, you come out clean, dry, and refreshed.
A 50 year old idea revived
The facility was developed by the Japanese technology company Science, and it is not a coincidence that it looks like a machine from a futuristic movie.
The company revived an idea that was presented at the Osaka Expo in 1970.
Interestingly, the person leading the company today says he saw the original machine as a small child, and it was engraved in his memory.
Fifty years later, he decided to take the concept to the full extent.
The machine works as follows the user lies inside a transparent cabin and the machine sprays warm water and millions of tiny bubbles that remove dirt from the skin.
After washing, the machine uses hot air to dry the user and their clothes automatically.
According to the company, AI based sensors control all the machine’s functions and features, including water temperature and pressure, to ensure safe and comfortable use.
At the same time, relaxing music plays inside the cabin and soft lighting creates a quiet and calm spa atmosphere.
Cleansing the mind
The company does not only focus on physical cleaning.
According to a spokesperson, the machine “also washes the mind.”
This may sound like marketing, but there is real technology behind this statement the machine includes sensors that monitor the user’s pulse and vital signs in real time.
The system can also detect stress conditions and adjusts itself accordingly, ensuring that the stay inside the cabin is safe and comfortable.
At the end of the process comes the most Japanese part complete automatic drying.
No towel, no need to get up wet and messy.
You simply leave ready to continue your day.
Although the project began as a concept specifically for the exhibition, demand arrived faster than expected, and according to reports even an American resort chain recently requested to examine purchasing the device.
The first commercial unit has already been sold to a hotel in Osaka, which intends to add it as a unique premium experience for guests.
And it does not end there.
According to reports, the electronics chain Yamada Denki also jumped on the idea and purchased a unit.
The machine will be displayed in the chain’s flagship store starting December 25, with a trial station allowing customers to experience the revolutionary product.
This is interesting, as electronics chains usually do not sell equipment of this type, but if the goal is to attract customers to the store, it will probably work.
Science does not manufacture large quantities of this “washing machine,” and does not plan to in the near future.
According to reports, only about 50 units are planned to go to market.
The company says this is not due to lack of demand, but because the product is complex and very expensive to produce.
According to estimates, the price of each unit is about 60 million yen (approximately 385 thousand dollars).
So will automatic spa treatments someday become a Japanese standard like their famous automatic toilets (which also once sounded like science fiction and caused much laughter)? Very likely yes.