While many of our readers expressed an interest in it, the device has yet to reach commercial production. If that's the sort of thing that turns your crank (or pushes your pedal), though, you can now order Yirego's similar Drumi.

Designed for use by students, cabin-goers, car-campers or anyone else without ready access to powered washing facilities, the 22-inch (56-cm)-tall Drumi requires no electricity.

To use it, you first load six or seven pieces of clothing (or 5 lb/2.3 kg by weight) into its spherical drum, add detergent to the hopper on top, and then pour in 5 liters (1.3 US gal) of wash water. After spinning the drum back and forth for five minutes by pressing on the pedal, you drain out the water using a push-button, add five more liters of rinse water, then spin it for another five minutes before draining it again.