New spin on doing the laundry

A design student has put a new spin on doing the chores - by combining a washing machine with a video game console.

Lee Wei Chen, 27, of Kingston University in London, came up with the idea after realising that he was wasting too much time playing games.

"I realised that the skills I had developed in the virtual world were useless in the real world. I wanted to make them useful," he told Design Week.

Lee's invention looks like an arcade style video console - but the bottom half of the unit is a washing machine, with the components' circuitry linked together.

The washing cycle is dependent on the success of the person playing the game so, if they struggle, extra coins are needed to complete the washing cycle.

Chen's course leader, Colin Holden, said: "He's chosen two instantly recognisable objects - a washing machine and an arcade game - to illustrate this idea.

"Together the two objects produce a striking new electronic device. It's an extremely well-executed design concept."

However, despite his ingenuity, Chen admits he's still far from becoming domesticated: "I don't even know how to choose the programme," he said.