Make Dad’s Day

Homemakers of the world, unite. Help with chores may be just a pushbutton away. A designer in Barcelona, Spain, has invented a washing machine that requires fingerprint recognition to start it. Two or more fingerprints are registered via a home computer, and a sensor is hooked up to the washer. The catch is that the sensor will not allow the same fingerprint twice in a row. So a different person has to do the laundry at least every other time.

The appliance, dubbed “Your Turn,” was allegedly invented as an innovative Father’s Day gift. So Dad wouldn’t get stuck doing all the wash anymore? No, the inventor suggests, to get him to be more involved in family life.

Of course, the “handy” man could override the sensing device, by unplugging it, taking it back to the PC and reprogramming it. But that would put his relationship through the wringer.