Laundry System Goes to College

I.B.M. and USA Technologies have teamed up to launch a web-based laundry system for college dormitory laundry rooms. Students can check the availability of washers and dryers in a particular laundry room by logging onto a designated campus Web site. Known as e-Suds, the software program also allows students to pay for their laundry in advance by either entering in a special cell phone code or by swiping their student ID card on the pay device of the machines they use. The best feature of this system is that when the laundry load is finished, e-Suds will send an email to the student's computer or text message to their cell phone notifying them. The e-Suds program was tested at a campus in Boston and passed with top grades. Wayne, Pennsylvania-based USA Technologies will begin retrofitting some 9,000 washers and dryers to be installed in college dormitories on campuses in Ohio, Indiana, Michigan and Kentucky.