Drying clothes is a pretty inefficient affair. Conventional dryers can take around 50 minutes to leave your clothes crisp, and they also use up a huge amount of heat. That’s why scientists in America have developed a new type of clothes dryer – one that’s twice as fast, and five times more energy efficient than the dryer you have at home.
Developed by scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee, the experimental dryer uses sound waves or high-frequency vibrations to essentially shake the water out from clothes, and it appears to have several benefits.
Scientists say the ultrasonic dryer can dry a medium-sized load of clothes in 20 minutes – 30 minutes less than a conventional dryer. It’s also five times more efficient than a normal dryer, which makes it better for the environment, and your utility bills, too.
Using ultrasonic energy has another, less obvious advantage. Since it’s far more ‘gentle’ in use, the ultrasonic hairdryer leaves behind less lint after drying your clothes – and also effectively damages them less.
Although it sounds like another ridiculous concept, the ultrasonic dryer is already in a prototype stage, and it could well be in our homes in the next few years. According to Business Insider, its creators have worked with General Electric and the US Department of Energy for the past two years, and received $880,000 in funding so far.
If all things go to plan, ultrasonic dryers could be used in commercial spaces before 2020, and will make their way into our homes some time after that.
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