When a door seal on my front loader washing machine tore recently, I thought it would be a good time to consider replacing the old clunker with a newer, more accessible model. What I learned was mostly discouraging. There was one bright spot, however: a totally accessible washer-dryer set made possible by the curiosity of a 13-year-old named Jack.
App-Controlled Laundry Pairs
Though there are several manufacturers that produce "networked" laundry sets, Samsung and LG come first to mind, I found it impossible to find any of these models locally. Even if I had, in stores the machines are never set up for use—only for display. I spoke with several salesmen who were happy to tout the ability of the machines to be controlled by a mobile app, but when I asked, "Is the app screen reader accessible," you can guess the response I received. I could not find a single machine with a "demo mode" that would enable me to take a dry run to test accessibility, and even if I had, my experiences with networked thermostats, which I wrote about in the June 2017 issue of AccessWorld, left me reluctant to spend well in excess of a $1,000 on just the "possibility" that I could use the equipment accessibly.
Doing Your Laundry with Amazon Echo and Google Home
Recently, Amazon introduced a line of Kenmore Elite appliances with Amazon Echo and Google Home capabilities built in. The line includes their smart hybrid water softener, smart electric water heater module, 75043 24-cubic feet smart French door bottom-mount refrigerator, smart air conditioner, smart front-load washer, and smart front-load dryer.
Note that Kenmore appliances are now manufactured by Whirlpool, which also owns Maytag.
Unfortunately, this new Kenmore line is a limited release and not available in all areas of the country, including my own. There is a mobile app, but before you can complete registration you must already own one of the appliances, so again, there is no way to try before you buy.
The Echo skill command set also seems rather limited. Below are the commands listed for use with the washer and dryer:
Alexa, ask Kenmore Smart:
- How much time is remaining on my dryer cycle?
- What is my washer doing?
- What is my dryer doing?
- To start my washer.
- To pause my dryer.
- If I need to run clean washer?
- Is my washer able to be started?
While useful, these skill commands do seem a bit rudimentary. They do not offer nearly enough to take advantage of the premium features—delicate wash, air dry, and the like—that make these appliances cost more than other models.
The Talking Laundry Module from GE
GE also makes a line of connected home appliances that can be controlled both via mobile apps and with spoken Echo or Home commands. Again, there are no demos of the apps, and the spoken command sets are limited. However, GE Appliances, which is now owned by the Chinese company Haier, recently introduced a single-purpose device called the Talking Laundry Module which announces the function of every button and knob on their GE 4.6 DOE cubic feet capacity stainless steel washer (MSRP $699) and GE 7.4 cubic feet capacity aluminized alloy drum dryer (MSRP $699 for electric, $799 for gas).
How this came about makes an interesting tale.
The University of Louisville GE campus includes a small, wholly owned startup called FirstBuild. "We're a fast turnaround prototype creator and micro-factory that can develop products and get them to market quickly," says FirstBuild Technical Leader Sam DuPlessis. "We're also a socially engaged community of home enthusiasts, designers, engineers, and inventors. To date we have over 15 co-developed products on the shelf—including the first countertop ice nugget maker—and many more prototypes in development."
As part of their mission, every year First Build holds a weekend hackathon at their facility. "Last fall one of the participating groups took a flat surface induction range top and made it more accessible to the vision impaired," DuPlessis relates. "They added voice recognition, and made the flat surface burners easier to locate and use by adding a thin glass overlay with holes cut out for the burners."
The American Printing House for the Blind (APH) is in Louisville, so Sam invited Larry Skutchan, APH Director of Technology Product Research, to view and assess the entry. Skutchan was impressed with the group's ingenuity, but he was also left a bit frustrated, because along with the flat surface range top, the unit also sported a flat surface touch control panel. "Haven't you guys ever heard of a knob?" he asked.
Skutchan explained that when a blind person is shopping for a major appliance, he or she is not just shopping for functionality, but also for independence. "All too often we end up with something that's less useable than what we had before."
DuPlessis's own washer and dryer did have knob controls, and as Skutchan had mentioned, like most knob controls they spun 360 degrees, without a start and end point, making it difficult to determine which setting had been accessed without braille or other markers. Skutchan had also been right when he had observed that more and more major appliances were being designed with touch screen controls.
DuPlessis did recall that GE has at least one washer-dryer set that still used control knobs. It also used bubble buttons, which at least could be distinguished by touch. The laundry pair also had service ports that used a standard USB interface for troubleshooting various service codes that were issued with each setting and control.
When DuPlessis happened to mention the issue to his son, Jack, the 13-year-old offered, "Let me take a crack at it." Jack had been experimenting with a Raspberry Pi, a basic computer the size of an Altoids mint tin. "I've been wanting to learn JavaScript," he said. "This would be a great project to learn on."
Before the weekend was over Jack had something to show his dad. His first version included a database of the washer knob control codes. Every time the dial was moved a different tone sounded, depending on which function was currently in focus.
For his second version Jack made recordings of each washer function and loaded the sound files onto the Raspberry Pi. Now the attached speaker announced by name the function of each knob position and bubble button. He did the same for the matching dryer, and when Jack demoed his new version he and his dad agreed the technology would not only be useful for the blind, it could also benefit non-English readers because each control could be translated to be spoken in Spanish or other languages.
DuPlessis asked Skutchan to beta test his son's device. Skutchan's first suggestion was that they put a volume knob on the device. He also suggested that along with announcing the functions as they were engaged, there needed to be some way to review the controls before they were engaged, and to determine the washer or dryer's current status—including which cycle was currently running, and how much time was left.
After making these and a few other improvements, including a move to text-to-speech so more product improvements could be accomplished rapidly, FirstBuild installed several laundry sets equipped with Talking Laundry Modules in the Kentucky School for the Blind for further evaluation. Today the unit can be purchased for $99, but there is a 4-6-week waiting period. "Instead of waiting for sufficient demand to justify manufacturing the modules by the thousands, we're hand building each one. We're hoping to get the price down."
Presently, the Talking Laundry Module is housed in a 5 by 5 by 2.5 inches stainless steel box with a power cable and volume control knob. The same module connects to both a supported washer and dryer via cables from the module to the appliances' communications ports. The front of the unit features a pair of buttons that announce the current status of the connected washer and dryer and a Micro SD card slot for future software upgrades. A magnetic base enables the user to attach the module to the side or rear of either appliance.
Skutchan has his module connected to the rear of his dryer where it's an easy reach to either status button. "Before, I never would have use the stain removal, extra rinse, or spin speed features for the simple reason that I never knew they were there," he says. "Hopefully, soon the module will come built-in to every GE washer and dryer."
Final Rinse: Advocacy for Wider Accessibility
Some advocacy work is definitely needed in regard to the accessibility of "connected" appliances. Samsung, LG, and other makers of app-controlled appliances should be encouraged to both ensure their apps are VoiceOver and Talkback accessible, and to produce demo modes that mirror completely the app's functionality with various appliances.
In the meantime, the Talking Laundry Module is ideal for the newly blind, those who can't quite read the tiny controls, or others who absolutely need to purchase a new washer and/or dryer in the very near future. Since my wife would not allow me to wait for my investigations to be completed before she could launder her work clothes, I went ahead and had my current machine repaired instead of replacing it. I believe it's a fair assumption that by the time the washer breaks down again, the state of the art will be a little more advanced and I will either be able to get a laundry pair with built-in speech or an app-controlled pair I know is accessible.
If you have experience with one of the app-enabled laundry sets, or the Talking Laundry Module from First Build, be sure to let us know. We love hearing from you.
Product Information
Product: Talking Laundry Module
Manufacturer: FirstBuild
Price: $99
