Everyone who visited the Osaka World Expo in 1970 obviously remembers this invention which seemed straight out of a science fiction film: a human washing machine! Created by Sanyo Electric (now Panasonic), this strange capsule promised a futuristic bath with ultrasound, bullet massage and automatic immersion.
A high-tech experience for washing
But despite the enthusiasm it generated, the idea never got beyond the prototype stage. More than 50 years later, a revisited and improved version is making a comeback at Expo Osaka 2025, with a modernized design and the latest technologies.
This time, the machine, renamed Mirai Ningen Sentakuki (“ Human washing machine of the future “), looks more like a jet cockpit than a simple bathtub. Forget the retro oval of the 70s, make way for a central seat surrounded by a transparent dome which opens from the rear. Once installed, the user is partially immersed in warm water, while sophisticated sensors monitor their pulse and other biological data to ensure optimal bath temperature.
But that’s not all. An artificial intelligence analyzes the emotional state of the bather – is he relaxed? — and adapts the experience by projecting soothing images inside the dome. In 15 minutes, the machine promises complete cleaning… and a refreshed mind.
It is Yasuaki Aoyama, president of the Japanese company Science Co., specializing in innovative showers and bathtubs, who is behind this somewhat crazy project. “ We are 70% of the goal “, he confided in October. Nostalgic for the machine he had admired as a schoolboy during the 1970 Expo, Aoyama wanted to make his childhood dream come true for this new edition of the event.
The machine will be presented at the Osaka Health Pavilion, where 1,000 visitors every day will have the opportunity to test it. Reservations, already open on the company’s website, should be snapped up like hot cakes. Seven to eight lucky people per day will be able to treat themselves to this unique futuristic experience.
And for those who are not lucky enough to participate, all hope is not lost. Science Co. is already thinking about a domestic version of the machine… In the meantime, this modernized human washing machine should make an impression at Expo Osaka 2025, just as its illustrious ancestor had enchanted (or intrigued) visitors in 1970. And who knows, maybe one day it will find its place in our bathrooms.
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