Japan: The Human Washing Machine, a Highlight of Expo 2025, Hits the Market

Japan's human washing machine, which intrigued visitors at this year's World Expo, is now available for purchase, according to a spokesperson from the manufacturing company, Science.

A prototype drew long queues during the Expo, which concluded in October in Osaka after welcoming over 27 million visitors over six months.

The machine works as follows: users lie down in a capsule, close the lid, and are cleaned like laundry in a washing machine, but without spinning, while music plays in the background.

This device, designed by the Japanese company Science, is a modernized version of a model introduced at the previous World Expo in Osaka in 1970.

"Our president was inspired by it when he was 10 years old at that time," explained Science spokesperson Sachiko Maekura to AFP.

The machine "not only cleans the body but also the soul," she added, while also monitoring users' heart rates and other vital signs.

After being contacted by an American hotel complex interested in marketing the prototype, the company, which employs 80 people, decided to start production.

An Osaka hotel has already acquired the first machine and is preparing to offer the service to its guests, the spokesperson further stated.

Other buyers include Yamada Denki, a major Japanese consumer electronics retail chain, which intends to use it to attract customers to its stores.

"Since the appeal of this machine partly lies in its rarity, we plan to produce only about fifty units," Ms. Maekura emphasized.

Local media reported that the selling price is expected to be 60 million yen (approximately 332,000 euros).

AFP