It washes your cloths sure, but check out what else it does. The AQUA Washing Machine, has been launched in Japan and uses a device called Aqualoop which recycles water for use in further washes, aiming to conserve around 50 litres of water.

It also has a facility called Air Wash, which enables owners to clean items of clothing that would usually require dry cleaning or those that cannot be conventionally washed in water. Air Wash infuses the clothes with odor and bacteria-killing chemicals, which could be of use if items smell of pets or smoke. The machine has been designed with the consumer in mind, as it has a higher-placed drum allowing it to be filled while the owner is standing up.

More pics after the fold.

I found this interesting from the Sanyo site.

Since the Kyoto Protocol has come into effect, the concern for environmental problems has risen, with initiatives to counter global warming such as ‘Cool Biz’, which was introduced last summer in Japan as an initiative for office workers to wear cooler clothes and have companies not lower the temperature of the Air Conditioners as much.
In naming this product ‘Aqua’, SANYO tries to express its feelings about the environment- ‘The water that we use isn’t unlimited’; ‘This washing machine values the importance of water ’ – into this drum type washer/dryer,.

SANYO forecasts the overall demand for washing machines in Japan for fiscal year 2005 at approx. 4.57 million units (a 102% increase compared to last year), and of this, the demand for fully automatic washing machines is approx. 4.28 million units (a 103% increase compared to last year) – about the same level of demand as last year. Conversely, the market for washer/dryers is approx. 1.2 million units (a 135% increase compared to last year), which captures about 28% of the fully automatic washing machines market. This implies one out of four customers that buy a fully automatic washer chooses a washer/dryer type. SANYO expects the washer/dryer market to expand along with the needs for diversification of washer/dryers types in the future.