A startup called Eeva is crowdfunding their eponymous product, a no-plumbing-required combination washer-dryer. The object's shape, which seems to borrow some design cues from the similarly-named Eve robot from Pixar's "Wall-E," is apparently meant to evoke a hamper.

"Eeva is actually meant to replace your laundry hamper so your dirty clothes never pile up," the company writes. "So at the end of each day, throw your clothes in Eeva and let it do the rest."

The machine does in fact use water; you just have to insert it yourself (about 2.5 gallons) by attaching a hose, or removing a chamber at the top and filling it.

The company says it will do 7-8 pounds of laundry, both washing and drying, in 90 minutes. It also says no dryer vent is required "as it deals with the hot, humid air internally." At the end of the load, you're meant to empty the dirty water from a chamber at the bottom; curiously, this procedure is not depicted in either of the demo videos.

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I'm too skeptical to purchase a major appliance, particularly one that has water coursing through it, from a company I've never heard of. Things like washer/dryers break over time, and there's a network of technicians trained to diagnose and repair machines designed and built by well-known manufacturers. If I have an Eeva and the touchscreen breaks, or the machine just stops working, who do I call?

Plenty of folks do not share my skepticism; incredibly, Eeva had garnered nearly $1 million in pledges at press time, with a $900 buy-in. If this is your thing, there's still nine days left to pledge, and they say they'll begin shipping this October.