The planned job losses are another blow to Merthyr after Hoover ended 60 years of washing machine manufacturing in the town in March.

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It wants to be the brain in your washing machine, your microwave and your car, not to mention the giant server farms dotted around the planet that will power cloud computing as more of our day-to-day work gets stored online.

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In the first stage, normal devices are outfitted with "smarter" features, like advanced cruise control in cars or a washing machine that can sense the level of dirt in water and react by adjusting its wash time.

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The AC motor in my washing machine has been running for 15 years.

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The powder that works in your washing machine at high temperature functions because it contains proteins extracted from microbes that grow in volcanic hot springs.

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The washing machine and refrigerator maker is hardly alone in enjoying the fruits of a U.S. housing recovery.

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They then shut down electricity in the flat - no more dishwasher, fridge or washing machine.

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Fire officers said smoke alarms had helped alert the residents to the blaze which is believed to have started in a washing machine.

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It also did so after enduring 50 cycles in one of the most hostile environments known on the planet: a domestic washing machine.

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The idea is the brainchild of two Singaporean design students who won top honors at the recent International Electrolux Design Lab awards in Stockholm for their "Airwash" washing machine.

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