LaunderPal | The First Smart Laundry Basket in the World!

[This is a Kickstarter project and may never happen, but we like to highlight the weird and the wonderful].

Take Off, an Australia-based startup has come up with an innovative smart laundry basket, LaunderPal, which uses Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology to manage laundry.

LaunderPal Basket works together with several components that can work separately or hand-in-hand. These include the LaunderPal app, washable RFID tags and a back-end server that offers extended optional services.

The LaunderPal Basket

The basket comes with a built-in RFID reader which scans dirty clothes as you put them in. It then transmits this data to the LaunderPal app on your smartphone. To communicate, the basket and the app require an internet connection.

User will then have access to information about their laundry right on their smartphones. For instance, it is possible to tell which clothes are in the laundry basket and which ones are not.

Besides its functional role, the basket is also designed to match your style and décor. Thus, there are fabric bags in different colours as well as patterns to suit different homeowners.

Users also get an extra mesh bag for small items that should not mix with the rest of your laundry load (underwear) or those that cannot have RFID tags (shoelaces).

The LaunderPal App

As mentioned above, the basket works with a corresponding app which users need to install on their smartphones.

On the app, every family member can create their own profile. In addition to the information from their clothes’ tags, the profile could also have photos of their clothing, names and other details.

Consequently, as the basket scans RFID tags of clothes going into the basket, it will match the details on the tags to those on users’ profiles. It also translates the icons on the tags into data for each item’s washing requirements.

LaunderPal Washable RFID Tags

Each item of clothing gets a unique RFID tag for identification and washing program data. To prevent water damage, these tags come sealed in silicone covers. The silicone cover used is anti-allergy and does not irritate sensitive skin.

They stick well to clothes and will not come off during the wash or when ironing. Being passive tags, they do not use batteries and will not need a replacement for the entire lifecycle of clothing items.

These care tags suggest the correct solution for washing each clothing article, and this is meant to limit the chances of dye bleeding, stretching, shrinking or any other kind of damage.

LaunderPal and Services

Users can also access extra services through the LaunderPal server. These could be third-party services such as communicating basket content to local laundry service providers. This way, you can get pick-up and tracking services.

Through the server, it is also possible to get fashion-related services based on your style according to data collected in the app.

Why People Love the Idea of Launderpal

Among the main reasons why people like this innovation is its ability to track individual clothing items through the wash cycle, which can reduce accidental damage to precious clothes and keep them in the best shape. Best of all, this all takes place without requiring manual intervention.

Furthermore, it helps users manage their clothes by keeping a record of everything in the wardrobe on a smartphone app. Knowing whether a favourite item is dirty or not without rummaging through smelly, dirty laundry is a benefit many will appreciate.

Availability

LaunderPal was meant to begin manufacturing in October 2018 on condition that it reached its target on KickStarter. Pre-orders on KickStarter were available at $111 (AUS$150) and would come with 20 RFID tags. An additional 20 tags would require $10.

Though the project raised $3,614 from 15 backers, at the moment, there is no information on its availability for purchase.