Pedal operated washing machine

Remya's pedal operated washing machine. Source-http://tilz.tearfund.org/

An ingenious pedal operated washing machine that is eco-friendly, energy efficient, doesn't require electricity to function and is very cheap.
Remya Jose, hailing from Kerala has designed this machine. The most surprising part of the story is that she made it when she was 14 years old and had just given her 10th board exams. She has currently completed her 12th grade.

"Necessity is the mother of invention.", Remya says.

 Her mother had fallen ill and her father was suffering from cancer. All this while her board exams were going on. The responsibility of washing clothes fell on Remya and her sister. Besides, she had to travel great distances everyday to go to school.

So Remya decided to herself make one washing machine to make her life simpler. What she did was extremely simple and ingenious.

She replaced the electrical energy supply with a mechanical energy generating structure.

She sketched the plans and came into contact with an automobile workshop, where the workers agreed to work on it during their free hours.

DESIGN

• There is an aluminium box, inside which there is a horizontally laid out cylinder made up of a mesh like steel structure. 
• This system is connected to a pedalling system. 

WORKING

• Water and detergent is added to the box upto the level of the clothes and the clothes are left soaked for some time. 
• Thereafter, the pedal is rotated just like a gymnasium style workout cycle for 3-4 minutes. 
• The cylinder rotates at a high speed, cleaning the clothes. 
• Soap water is drained out and this cycle is repeated twice or thrice.
• After all water is drained out, rotating the pedal for some time can dry the clothes upto 80%.

ADVANTAGES

This innovation has many benefits. It works without electricity, and can help a person stay fit too. Besides, it is cheap (Rs. 2000) and easily affordable. It is portable as well.

Remya Jose was awarded the student award in National Innovation Foundation - India by the president in 2008 in a category for which around 25,000 entries were submitted.