Swedish design student Rickard Hederstierna from Lund Institute of Technology in Sweden is the winner of the Electrolux Design Lab 2009 competition for inventing “Cocoon”, the meat and fish maker.
The announcement was made at the finals in London on September 24, 2009, at 100% Design London, the UK’s leading architecture and design event.
“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. This process uses science to create food, lifting a burden on the planet by reducing the need for further intensive farming and fishing. The negative effects of this process, including the mass transportation of food around the world, clearing of land and distortion of ecosystems, are then negated.
Jury motivation
A jury of internationally-recognized designers judged the entries based on intuitive design, innovation, and consumer insight.
Their motivation: “Cocoon addresses a controversial issue that is very real: humankind’s continued desire to eat meat and fish. A great design concept polarizes opinion, and this is exactly what Cocoon achieves by exploring this issue. An inviting, tactile design, the Cocoon resembles a gemstone with a metal accent reflecting the heritage of the Swedish art-glass industry. Cocoon meets all of the brief’s criteria: it is daring, cutting edge and truly innovative in its focus on social and environmental issues.
The jury
The jury included Nipa Doshi, furniture designer and co-founder of Doshi Levien design studio, David Fisher, Design Director of internationally renowned product design consultancy Seymourpowell, Marisol Manso Cortina, Manager of the Color Design Group at Nissan Design Europe, and Henrik Otto, Senior Vice President of Global Design at Electrolux.
The Award
The Electrolux Design Lab 2009 award is a prize of € 5000 and a six-month paid internship at one of Electrolux global design centers.
The award for second place went to “Water Catcher”, the flying rain catcher and water purifier by Penghao Shan from Zhejiang Sci-tech University, China. Third place went to “Renew”, the smart steamer by Louis Filosa from Purdue University, USA. The People’s Choice Award—as voted for online—is “Teleport Fridge”, the refrigerator that teleports food by Dulyawat Wongnawa from Chulalongkorn University, Thailand.
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This sounds really cool! I want one, how much are they and when will I be able to buy one? The world needs this NOW, this would save countless trees and forests, save tons of CO2 and feed billions of people will little impact on the environment, not to mention how many innocent animals that wont be tortured and slaughtered. I hope this isn’t a hoax and you guys get this on the market ASAP. Please share and spread this technology all over the world as fast as you can.
Jeff | Saturday September 26th, 2009sorry to disappoint, Jeff. This article is somewhat misleading by making it sound like a “done deal”… this product does not exist. these entries are design “ideas” that are being judged in this contest. Another travesty of the American industrial design community; fart something out conceptually, put it in a niftysexy looking “package” and then voila, turn it over to the engineers to make it real. And we wonder why US manufacturing is becoming a thing of the past. This punk will probably be offered a job by Haworth or some other similarly nitwit-laden clownfarm. It’s sad to see that the US concept of industrial design is infecting Europe which had long been the bastion of solid “integral” design where concept, design, engineering and manufacturing were co-creative parallel processes. Sad to see that era coming to an end. The environmental/ethical/economic problems that you point out as byproducts of the meat industry are real enough.The real and achievable solution however is to re-adopt a vegetarian diet…the one that the homo sapiens physiology was “designed” by nature to consume in the first place. Eating within the parameters of our “design” solves many health and other problems… And, with no “magic” OR smoke-and-mirrors marketing required.
Pluto Krozabeeep | thirdstoneart.blogspot.com/ | Thursday October 1st, 2009@ Pluto Krozabeep
Electrolux | www.electrolux.com/designlab | Friday October 2nd, 2009Hi, you’re right when you say the product doesn’t exist, but that wasn’t the primary objective. As we tried to explain many times, Electrolux Design Lab is mainly to have some interaction with young, creative designers and also some sort of talent search.
From the start we never had the intentio to just “turn it over to the engineers to make it real”.
Our product development actually works completely differently. After consumer insight, we bring desingers, engineers, but even marketing people and sometimes even consumers together in order to create innovative appliances that truly meet consumers’ needs.
So don’t get too carried away with the entire “US concepts infecting Europe” but just enjoy the crazy ideas and nice design. It’s fun!
Your comment
I was at the Design Lab competition and I was impressed by all the finalists. The winner , the Cocoon is revolutionary in concept and product. I t is socially conscious of world food shortage but I do think it is a product of the future. IVF was not well recieved in the beginning and as it uses the same technique with successful application it will gain popularity and acceptability. It is a wonderful invention. Well done Rickard!
Freelance Inerior Journalist
Name Ismat J Amin | Website | Sunday October 4th, 2009Your comment
I was at the Design Lab competition and I was impressed by all the finalists. The winner , the Cocoon is revolutionary in concept and product. I t is socially conscious of world food shortage but I do think it is a product of the future. IVF was not well recieved in the beginning and as it uses the same technique and with successful application it will gain popularity and acceptability. It is a wonderful invention. Well done Rickard!
Freelance Inerior Journalist
Name Ismat J Amin | Website | Sunday October 4th, 2009Your comment
NameJason Brumley | Website | Monday October 5th, 2009I would like to know who designed the logo for the contest. Someone’s 6 year old should get an award for that.
This invests the opposition, and its struggle to replace the government, with apparent legitimacy, while undermining the legitimacy of the government under attack. ,
Miss90 | link | Friday October 23rd, 2009