Electrolux announces Design Lab ´09 finalists
MANILA, Philippines - From teleport fridges to flying water catchers to robotic greenhouses on Mars, Electrolux announces this year’s top eight Electrolux Design Lab finalists in its global competition themed “Designs for the next 90 years.”
Electrolux, a global leader in home and professional appliances, has chosen eight finalists to compete for first place in Electrolux Design Lab ’09. For Electrolux Design Lab’s seventh edition, Electrolux invited undergraduate and graduate industrial design students to send in their home appliance ideas for the next 90 years, in honor of Electrolux’s 90th anniversary. The brief was to create thoughtfully designed products that will shape how people prepare and store food, wash clothes, and do dishes over the next nine decades. First-prize winner will receive 5,000 euros and a six-month paid internship at one of the Electrolux global design centers. The second-prize receives 3,000 euros; and third-prize gets 2,000 euros. This year, over 900 entries were submitted from students in more than 50 countries.
The 2009 finalists below are listed in random order:
1. “Cocoon” by Rickard Hederstierna, Lund Institute of Technology, Sweden
Intelligent food to save the planet: “Cocoon” is a sustainable response to the world’s growing population and its desire to consume meat and fish. Similar to heating popcorn in a microwave, Cocoon prepares genetically engineered and pre-packaged meat and fish dishes by heating muscle cells identified by radio frequency identification (RFID) signals. The signals detect the specific dish and then suggest the required cooking time.
2. “Le Petit Prince” by Martin Miklica, Brno University of Technology, Czech Republic
One small step for robots, one giant leap for humankind: “Le Petit Prince” is a robotic greenhouse designed to facilitate the future exploration and population of Mars. Le Petit Prince takes care of a plant it carries inside its glass case, which is mounted on top of its four-legged pod. In search of nutrients to care for the plant, the robot is programmed to intuitively learn the optimal method for this process.
3. “Moléculaire” by Nico Kläber, Köln International School of Design, Germany
Print and eat your food: “Moléculaire” is influenced by chefs that scientifically and painstakingly “Moléculaire” simplifies the process and acts as a computer numerical control (CNC) food printer for both professional and domestic kitchens. It autonomously prepares basic and otherwise difficult to create two- and three-dimensional parts of meals. It works with a layer-by-layer printing process using small particles from diverse ingredients.
4. “Naturewash” by Zhenpeng Li, Zhejiang University, China
Washing in the great outdoors: “Naturewash” is a waterless washing machine that uses negative ions to wash nano-coated fabrics. Horizontal in shape, the washing machine has three touch screen settings: clean clothes, grass scent, and flower scent. A user can lie or sit on “Naturewash” to clean or refresh the clothes they are wearing. For a more thorough clean, clothes can be placed flat on the washer.
5. “Renew” by Louis Filosa, Purdue University, USA
Steam cleaning coming to a wall near you: “Renew” is a smart steamer that refreshes and cleans clothes. With two steam blades, Renew blasts garments clean. An infrared scanner and radio frequency identification (RFID) gather information about a garment from specifically designed clothing tags. At 25 percent the size of a current washing machine, Renew conserves space and is made of recycled aluminum and glass.
6. “Teleport Fridge” by Dulyawat Wongnawa, Chulalongkorn University, Thailand
Beam me up… Scottish ham: Dulyawat Wongnawa envisions a time when the technologies found in science fiction become reality, specifically teleportation. His concept, “Teleport Fridge,” teleports food, eliminating the time and distance a person has to travel to buy fresh groceries or products from a store or farm.
7. “Water Catcher” by Penghao Shan, Zhejiang Sci-tech University, China
Flying in the rain: Penghao Shan has created a product that addresses water shortage. His solution is “Water Catcher,” a flying rain catcher and water purifier. This automated device dispatches small flying balls in the air to catch raindrops. After the raindrops are collected, the balls return to a homing tray that purifies the water for drinking. Once purified, the balls take the drinking water directly to a person to be drunk.
8. “Bifoliate” by Toma Brundzaite, Vilnius Academy of Art, Lithuania
Washing dishes is double the fun: Putting away clean dishes from the dishwasher is often a tedious job. That’s why Toma Brundzaite has designed “Bifoliate,” a space-saving, wall-mounted double dishwasher that allows the user to put dirty dishes in one compartment and use the other as a shelf for clean dishes. The dishwasher uses ultrasonic wave technology to clean, making it more efficient and eco-friendly than today’s dishwashers.
For inquiries, Electrolux customer care trunk line at 845-CARE (227) or domestic toll-free number 1-800-10-845-CARE (2273), or visit www.electrolux.com.ph and wecare@electrolux.com.
