It's not white, it's not a box and it's not even designed to hold water. This is what the boffins at Electrolux think the washing machines of the future will be like. As our colleagues at psfk.com say: "The KaionWAVE sounds pretty cool - we think. The machine uses ultraviolet-C light to penetrate the clothing, killing all bacteria and viruses and free radical oxygen is pumped in as an oxidising agent to break down all the dirt and funk.

"However, it is only able to clean nano-coated fabrics, durable and stain resistant materials that some hypothesise will be used to make future clothing. So until the fashion industry begins to incorporate this future fabric, it's not much better than a fancy paper weight."