The Guardian

London, May 4:

A hi-tech washing machine called ‘Your Turn’ could soon enforce gender equality. Pep Torres, a Spanish designer, has exploited fingerprint recognition technology to subvert what was supposed to be the perfect Father’s Day gift. His washing machine is programmed to prevent the same person using it twice in a row to try to ensure that men do their share of domestic chores.

“I thought it would be good to finish with macho man from the ice age who doesn’t do anything arou-nd the house except dri-nk,” Torres said. He was originally approached by a manufacturer and asked to design an innovative Father’s Day present. It has inevitably appealed more to women who relish the opportunity of banishing washing day blues. “It was a tongue-in-cheek idea which seemed to catch the imagination,” Torres said.

For Your Turn to function as a regulator of domestic harmony, both partners are required to register their fingerprints on the scanner while it is linked to a home computer. If men are inclined to cheat, they could suffer a small forfeit, “Man can leave his finger at home, we have 10 fingers, so he won’t miss one — well, you don’t use the little finger a lot.”