Gizmodo: dishes

Dishwasher Robot Ensures Our Future Selves Will Have Zero Personal Responsibility

Jack Loftus — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 17:00:00 EDT

My elaborate plan to take out years worth of repressed childhood dish washing memories on my own children some day has hit a Panasonic robot-sized snafu.

You see, in the future, when we're flying around in cars and Will Smith is saving us from over-protective robots, the dishes will wash themselves.

Case in point, in the video this robot/video camera contraption has magic hands that grip, wash, dump out and otherwise do all the things I had planned on forcing my kids to do after dinner in the future.

Panasonic is also working on a robot load lifter that converts into a motorized wheelchair, which will be perfect for all those elderly folks in the future who double as deliverymen. [Impress via Engadget]

Ultrasonic Dishwasher Cavitates Your Dishes to Cleanliness

Jack Loftus — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 17:00:00 EDT

Ultrasonic cleaning techniques have been around in the jewelry circles for a while, but they haven't yet made it into our kitchens. Until now.

This dishwasher concept from De Dietrich uses cavitation to clean your dishes. In layman's terms that means tiny bubbles strike your dinnerware and scrub the surfaces clean. The process cuts out much of the water and energy waste associated with traditional dishwashers.

Sadly, this dishwasher can't be used to steam a salmon, which, on second thought, may be a good thing. [De Dietrich via Appliancist via DVICE]

Write-On Mug Leaves Revocable Trail of Evidence

Mark Wilson — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 09:30:00 EST

There's nothing I despise more than taking a sip of coffee and not having my day's list of appointments written an inch from my nose.

The Write-On Mug (complete with erasable mini pencil) solves this daily dilemma, and if I were willing to fork over $16 for the cup, I could write my schedule on it for today:

8:00am — Coffee and cereal
8:30am — Sift through Lucky Charms box for bonus marshmallows
9:00am — Sit monkey at computer
11:00am — Scold monkey for leaving bananas everywhere, again
11:30am — Apologize to monkey, thank him for years of service
11:31am — Leave for simultaneous massage/smoothie/enema lunch
1:00pm — Write a few emails
1:15pm — Take nap
4:59pm — Wake
5:00pm — Sign offline for the day, sit monkey in front of Xbox

[fredflare via Nerd Approved]

Lunchboxes Create the Illusion of Fine PB&J Dining

Mark Wilson — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 09:40:00 EDT

Our childhood died when we realized that our precious GI Joe lunchbox would no longer impress our friends but get us laughed at and called a baby. As we carried our brown paper bag in shame, one graphic designer mused a solution. Her lunchboxes, seen here, hold food with style, folding out to reveal a facade of dining on fine porcelain plates or even just simple plastic dishes on the beach.

So while the silverware isn't real, at least the lunchbox can once again spur the imagination. And maybe just for a moment you can convince yourself that you aren't eating a stale sandwich between your company's pop machine and water cooler, but enjoying warm fois gras amidst the gentle orchestration of a classical string quartet. [Smart Emma via Trends Now]

Bubble-Blowing Dish-Scrubber Taunts ADHD Sufferers

Benny Goldman — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 13:00:00 EST

Time to focus, lots of dirty dishes to clean. Oooh look, a bubble! Wow, I can blow more bubbles? Yay! Bubble bubble bubble, bubble bubble bubble. I'm tired of blowing bubbles, let's do Jumping Jacks! Yay! Jumping Jacks stink, let's eat candy 'til we puke! Yay! So sick, so many dirty dishes, the best $5 I ever spent. Firetruck! [Bubble Scrubber via Boing Boing]

Food For Thought Plates

Charlie White — Tue, 09 May 2006 12:54:51 EDT

You know those posters at the butcher shop that show you which cuts of meat come from which part of the steer? Well now you can have those illustrations right in front of you as you dine, with Food For Thought Plates, cheerfully inviting you to carefully consider where that juicy cut of red meat began its life that was so tragically cut short.

We have to giggle at the plate which dissects a dog, an unappetizing thought for some, good eatin' for others. Available in versions depicting lamb, swine, mutt and steer, they're yours for $10.50 apiece.

Product Page [via productdose]