What if we lived inside The LEGO Movie? A few things would certainly be different. For example, Chris Pratt would be a leading man, Will Arnett would be our favorite Batman, and every part of the world around us would be made of LEGO. Maybe our reality isn’t so different after all. The Brick Wall YouTube channel seems to believe in a world where LEGO Technic pieces can build anything and everything. And that includes items like the washing machine they assemble in the video below. It’s quite a complicated build just to wash six socks, but there’s no denying that it does the job.
The business of washing socks seems like quite the undertaking with this project, which we came across on Laughing Squid. Technic pieces hold and rotate a plastic drum. Mechanisms pour a metal water bottle and detergent into wash to ensure a hands-free operation. It’s even capable of draining the water between cycles.
Removing the excess water proves to be a big obstacle though, as spinning the drum just isn’t enough. Why not try squeezing the socks on a conveyer belt and rollers? When that doesn’t work, there’s yet another overly complicated solution. A device picks up one sock at a time and holds it by the toe. Once it’s loaded up, it spins very quickly and you can see the water streaming right out of the socks. We’re not sure if the minifigure riding a LEGO alligator is a necessary part of the contraption, but we love it.
Other wacky but effective LEGO automations we’ve seen from The Brick Wall YouTube channel include a pizza making factory and one that makes pancakes. Another interesting washing machine-related story we covered recently is the tiny version from Lay’s that automatically washes your fingertips after eating greasy chips. Clean socks, full bellies, can’t lose!
Melissa is Nerdist’s science & technology staff writer. She also moderates “science of” panels at conventions and co-hosts Star Warsologies, a podcast about science and Star Wars. Follow her on Twitter @melissatruth.