dishwasher

Accessible kitchen design

I'll freely admit that I rarely--if ever--thought about accessibility issues before I had a son with special needs. Now, it's an issue that's nearly always on my mind. Have you ever noticed how many commercials and TV shows aren't closed captioned? Have you tried to navigate any Web sites using a text-to-speech reader lately? How about something simpler, like unloading a dishwasher in a typical kitchen--when you're in a wheelchair?

Fortunately, I'm not the only one thinking about this. Whether it's to woo an aging population with mobility issues or advocating on behalf … Read more

Wash dishes where you store them

When it comes to storing dishes, I'm a big fan of efficiencies. That's why I've always admired the over-sink dish racks of my European friends. The over-sink racks let the dishes dry where they're stored so that you don't have to transfer them from drying rack to cupboard.

The Mural Dishwasher, a student work spotted by MoCo Loco at the University of Quebec in Montreal Design Grad Show, does that concept one better: instead of hand-washing dishes, how about automatically washing them where they're stored? The wall-mounted cabinet is subdivided into six sections, and … Read more

'Lego-esque' gadgets tap into craze

Apparently the Lego-iPod mashup that surfaced last year has tapped into a demand for other brick-like products, though we can't help but wonder if trademark complaints are in the offing.

Yesterday, for example, Technabob passed along a selection of "Lego-esque media players" and matching stereo docks in various colors. And today, Akihabara News tells us of a "Lego-like USB key" that can be joined with other pieces to create a custom flash drive.

The keys have only 1GB of storage space, but don't worry: When it's full, you can still play with them … Read more

A tiny dishwasher for a tiny kitchen

While most people in the tech sector are watching what's going on at CES in Las Vegas, some of us still have our eyes on what's going on in the kitchen.

Apartment Therapy's Kitchn blog today points to a half-size dishwasher that could start popping up in apartments around the country. The Smeg dishwasher comes in three sizes, the most interesting of which tops out at just less than 24 inches tall. On the outside, it's a standard, stainless steel appliance. Inside, it's basically like the bottom basket of a regular dishwasher.

This design works … Read more

Meet the Dishwasher of Awesomeness

I should start off with a disclaimer: The title of this post may be biased. I am inclined to perceive just about any dishwasher as a dishwasher of awesomeness, since (like many New Yorkers) I don't have one. Consequently, I see the dishwasher as some sort of magical mystery device. Take that as you will.

But this one, the Fisher & Paykel Double DishDrawer, is still cooler than most, in my opinion. Why? Because it tackles both energy efficiency and space efficiency in one clever design move. Instead of being one big, water-guzzling machine that doesn't always fill … Read more

A dishwasher for the dishwasher-less apartment?

Yes, to many of you this will look stupid. But if you're an urban apartment-dweller like me, there's a good chance that you saw this gadget and immediately said "OMIGOD, I NEED THAT." Our suburban brethren often don't realize that many apartments in New York, San Francisco, London, Tokyo, etc. don't have dishwashers due to space constraints. As a result, we've become very well acquainted with every brand of dish soap on the market (hello, Method Home!), the merits of relying on take-out Chinese food, as well as the deep drama involved in … Read more

This bot even does the dishes

We used to joke that Japan was hurtling toward a human-free society, but now we're starting to worry that it's true. The island nation, already concerned about its rapidly declining population (of humans), has recently debuted bots that can clean buildings, plow snow, detect smoke and even police grounds while others escort hospital patients and take their temperatures.

But now robots are entering the ultimate inner sanctum: the kitchen. BornRich says a team of more than 40 Japanese researchers spent four years creating a domestic bot that can, among other things, wash dishes. (Maybe it's not such … Read more

No more excuses: Now you can wash Legos

We couldn't agree with Slashgear more on this one: As any parent knows, kids are filthy. They are sand-eating, dirt-grubbing bacterial magnets.

Despite the universality of this fact, we're still surprised that, of all companies, Bosch gets it. We just couldn't envision its black-turtlenecked German designers surrounded by germ-infested toddlers. But at least some people at the high-end company must understand what rug rodents are about, because they designed this Lego-safe dishwasher that can clean the toy bricks without melting them into plastic blobs. And because it's Bosch, we're relieved to say, the appliances won'… Read more