His twelve-year-old stands rigid in front of his vintage band t-shirts, eyes wide with panic. The intensity in that stare almost makes him reconsider.
- Dad, come on! These tees are impossible to find again. What if your sound waves shred them?
He takes a deep breath and tries to reason calmly.
- Ultrasonic washing is gentler than mechanical washing. Every museum uses ultrasonic washing on priceless historical uniforms. Far more priceless than your t-shirts.
- Can't I just hand wash them like I've been doing?
- All that scrubbing and wringing? It’s actually harder on fabric fibres.
- My friends will roast me forever if I tell them my dad sonic-blasted my clothes to death.
- Okay, let me show you something first. Let’s run an experiment. Can you take the sports shirt you play in?
As they enter the bathroom, his father throws the sports shirt into the washing machine and shuts the door. The door flashes amber, emitting a gentle beep of refusal.
- What happened?
- The washing machine refuses to wash my sports shirt.
- Why?
His son frowns at the display.
- I dunno.
- Can you check the washing instructions on the label?
His son reaches for the shirt and takes it out for inspection. The alert disappears from the machine’s door.
- Weird, no washing instructions. Just a sun symbol with tiny arrows showing light rays.
- Because it’s photocatalytic. You just hang it in sunlight, and in a few hours, it's fresh like you never wore it. Tiny particles in the fabric do the cleaning.
- But how does the washing machine know all that?
- Each piece of clothing has a built-in care plan, and appliances like this are smart enough to read them.
- But how can bubbles clean better than a real washing machine?
- See, all that spinning and sloshing in regular washing machines beats your clothes up. This just uses physics. Look, it's not like the machine is blasting your shirts with sound, like your bands used to blast at fans during concerts. It makes millions of tiny bubbles that pop so quickly they shake the dirt right out, without damaging a single thread.
Noticing his son easing up, he takes the opportunity to use the moment.
- There is nothing gentler than ultrasonic care to keep your collection safe and clean. Ultrasonic washing protects your clothing care plans. Anyways, if anything happens to your favourite clothes, you can always respawn them through the care plan service.
- If you’re so smart, how does the sun help my team wear the same workout shirt every day?
- Okay, can you stretch your T-shirt and hold it up against the light?
With a squint, his son follows the instruction.
- See those tiny silver threads woven into the fabric? Those are nanostructures, tiny things that break down sweat and bacteria when you're outside.
- Okay, okay, I get it. We’re not at school.
He pauses, looking at his workout shirt, then back at his father.
- What if we try just one shirt first?
- Smart thinking. Which one are you willing to risk?
- My least favourite one, and we’ll only do the rest if the first one survives.
He smirks.
- Pick the one you wouldn't mind losing.
- Alright, alright.
His son mutters, heading to his room.
- But if you're wrong about this, I'm telling Mom…
Watching his son trail off, already convinced but not ready to admit it, he crosses his arms, sighing deeply.
- Eh, if only this machine would preserve your taste in music as well as the fabrics.
Memories to build from this future:
1. Think back to explaining photocatalytic clothing to a friend who insisted on traditional washing:
Which demonstration finally convinced them that their self-cleaning shirt wasn't "dirty"?
What preconceptions about cleanliness did you both have to unlearn?
How did you help them understand that some care happens invisibly?
2. Try to recall that strategic planning session where your organisation shifted from growth-focused to preservation-focused innovation:
Which existing assets gained unexpected value when protection became the priority?
How did your competitive advantage change when longevity became more valuable than novelty?
What client relationships deepened when you focused on extending rather than replacing their investments?
How did this philosophy transform your organisation's approach towards sustainability and resource management?
3. Think back to the first quarter after implementing embedded intelligence in your organisation's most valuable processes:
Which workflows benefited most from systems that could self-assess and self-protect?
How did real-time care adjustments improve outcomes compared to scheduled maintenance?
What new roles emerged when systems became capable of preventive rather than reactive management?
How did you balance transparency with automation in these intelligent care systems?
Each memory from the future you build sharpens your strategic instincts for the decisions ahead.
Build enough memories.
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