You may not think a home appliance needs a touchscreen, but if you’re not a huge fan of buttons, knobs, dials, and switches, Panasonic’s latest take on the washing machine might be ideal for you.
Released to Australia in the coming weeks, the company is talking up the whitegood not just because it has a touchscreen up front for easy controls, but also because it relies on some features that are new for Panasonic, such as a more advanced water dispersion system and a way to make the foam more concentrated.
These two features are designed to make the 8 kilogram EcoNavi washing machine appeal to people looking to replace the old washing machine rust bucket at home, with the washer not only capable of doing the regular schtick, but also saving energy in the process.
First there’s that foam feature, which Panasonic says turns the laundry detergent into foam in the drawer where it’s loaded in, relying on pressurised water to make the foam more concentrated and reach more places in the washing machine.
The difference in water dispersion happens thanks to sensors, which in turn leads to a possibly energy savings. As such, you’ll find that when the machine finds you’ve thrown in a larger load, more water is used, while less is used when it isn’t needed.
Furthermore, Panasonic has built in a material sensor able to pick up if the clothes being washed are made up of cotton or synthetic materials, with the cotton fabrics requiring more water, while the synthetics can be washed and rinsed with less.
Helping this last part is what Panasonic calls a “3D Sensor Wash”, which relies on sensors inside the barrel to pick up on the weight and change the spin to make sure everything is moving, rinsing, and drying when it needs to be.
Controlling the EcoNavi is handled through a touch panel, too, bringing the old washing machine into the future, with up to 16 programs found for the machine.
Pricing on Panasonic’s EcoNavi 8 kilo model (NA-128VG5WAU) comes in at $1199, where it can be found at The Good Guys stores across Australia with a four start water and energy rating.
