London designer Lee Wei Chen has created what he calls an “Amusement Washing Machine,” which is exactly what is sounds like.

The idea spawned when the studying designer was no longer happy with just shooting alien invaders. He wanted to utilize his ‘wasted but enjoyable time’ and make it more productive. ‘I realized the skills I had developed in the virtual world were useless in the real world. I wanted to make them useful,’ he explains.

To use the machine, players are required to put three pound coins into the washer which in turn dispenses three lives. This also turns the appliance on. If a player fails to progress beyond a particular level without losing their lives, the washing machine responds by refusing to move onto the next stage of its cycle, and hence the player needs to add more money.

Sounds a lot like a regular arcade game, but at least you get a few clean shirts out of the deal. Check out more images of the machine at designboom.

-Drew Millard

[via]