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Electricity is yet to reach a large part of the planet. A number of places in developing countries like Africa and India therefore do their laundry manually using buckets of water. This requires a lot of effort and results in the wastage of water, which is also a scarcity in these areas. The Spin Cycle was developed with the aim of supplying an alternative eco-friendly way of washing clothes to the un-electrified world which would also help conserve water.
Sheffield Hallam University student Richard Hewitt came up with the concept of the Spin Cycle as a part of his Product Design graduation project at the college. Richard came up with the idea while on a trip to Burundi in central Africa, where he spent some time in an orphanage washing children’s clothes by hand in buckets of cold water. This experience inspired him to design an alternative method of washing clothes without electricity. The Spin Cycle is a simple pedal-powered device which can be used to wash clothes in areas where electricity is not available. The Spin Cycle is a portable laundry system which is powered by human strength. A load of laundry can easily be done by around ten minutes of paddling the Spin Cycle. <o:p></o:p>
How it Works<o:p></o:p>
The device is fitted to the back of a tricycle, which is loaded with clothes, detergent, and water before being pedaled around for ten minutes.<o:p></o:p>
It is then drained and filled with rinse water before another ten-minute session of cycling completes the wash. The same method can be used to spin dry the clothes once they are clean.<o:p></o:p>
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The Spin Cycles are being used to deliver door to door laundry service in Africa. the mechanical engineering diploma students Pratik Magar, Darshan Koshti, Anurag Borse and Abhijeet Mane recently built their own version of the Spin Cycle after consulting with Richard. This version even powers an LED light on the front of the bike and can be used to charge phones, all with the power of pedaling.
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The concept received
a lot of press coverage and is now being developed alongside Gripple’s Incub
Scheme and the Ideas and Innovation department. The Spin Cycle can be a great alternative to
electricity powered washing machines in developing parts of the world
especially for low income households. It can also be used to generate income as
part of a low cost and simple laundry service. <o:p></o:p>