Electrolux Design Lab 2010 Semi-finalists

Published 2010-06-14 in Design Lab 2010 Competition

Introducing the Robotic Fish Dishwasher, the Snail Induction Cooker and Sheep Vacuum Cleaner – 25 Electrolux Design Lab semi-finalists provide innovative compact living solutions.

From a field of 1,300, the top 25 concepts have been chosen from designers based in 17 countries across the world. Romania and China are represented by three entries each, the USA, India, Russia and Australia have two representatives and for the first time ever, entries from India and the Middle East.

September Finals in London

Eight finalists (announced by Electrolux week commencing 5th July) will be invited to present their concept to a jury of expert designers. The jury will consider entries based on intuitive design, innovation and consumer insight when awarding the first prize of a six-month paid internship at an Electrolux global design centre and 5,000 Euros. A second prize of 3,000 Euros and third prize of 2,000 Euros are also on offer.

“At this stage of the contest, we present the 25 responses that offer the most interesting solutions for future living and best consider efficient use of domestic space.” says Henrik Otto, SVP of Global Design at Electrolux.

The 25 semi-finalists can be seen below (in random order):

1: The Kitchen Hideaway, Daniel Dobrogorsky, Australia

The Kitchen Hideaway is a virtual reality concept that allows the inhabitants of a communal building to imagine being in a kitchen, preparing a particular meal rather than having to actually do this for themselves. The thoughts of the user are then transmitted to robotic chefs within the building who then prepare the visualised meal in a real kitchen and with real ingredients.  In effect, the headset replaces the need for kitchen appliances in individual dwellings, saving space through creative thinking.

2: Community Fridge, Pedro Sanin Perez, Colombia
The ‘Community Fridge’ minimises space by acting as a grocery storage and ordering facility. Designed for use in communal buildings, each resident is assigned a space within the fridge to store their groceries. When time for a snack or refreshment a wall mounted digital interface facilitates direct ordering of items using a dedicated delivery shaft.


3: Bio Tank, Robotic ‘FishWasher’, Akifusa Nakazawa, Japan
The Bio Tank is a dishwasher, composter and pet in one. Plates are placed in to the ‘dish tank’ so that robotic fish can clean plates and dirty objects – effectively they ‘eat’ the plate clean before turning what they eat in to bio fuel. The robotic fish also use filters to clean the water, meaning it doesn’t need to be replaced. The Bio Tank provides a quirky, green way of cleaning dishes whilst ensuring company for those in the growing number of single househoulds.


4: Bx7 Preparation Unit, Iosif Mihailo, Romania – Food on the Go
Iosif Mihailo’s vision of the future includes the Bx7, a concept that can be used to mix capsules of zinc, calcium, magnesium, or carbohydrates with water to create a tasty nutritious juice. With less time, the Bx7 allows the user to prepare and consume meals on the go. The Bx7 is also equipped with internet connectivity to facilitate reordering of ‘food’ capsules.


5: ‘In-home’ Clothing Printer, Joshua Harris, USA – Print & Wear
The In-home clothing printer knits, unravels and stores threads on demand, allowing users to print and recycle their own clothing. The interface allows the user to pick their outfit and have it printed to their size based on measurements taken by a camera. Joshua Harris, also predicts that fashion designers will release designs to be downloaded to the device and printed with materials stored in replaceable cartridges, depending on the desired fabric. As well as revolutionising the fashion industry, the In-home removes the need for space-wasting closets.


6: Freedge – the Inside-Out Fridge, Matthew McNaughton, Australia
The Freedge brings innovation to an appliance that has seen little modification since its first inception. Matthew McNaughton’s concept maximises the spatial capacity of a home by placing the bulky storage compartment of the fridge beyond an exterior wall, until it is actually needed, at which point a draw in the wall is utilised to bring the fridge and its contents to the user. This solution also requires less energy – during cold external temperatures the fridge does not need so much energy to keep food cold.


7: The Snail, Peter Alwin, India – Micro Induction Heating
The Snail is a portable heating and cooking device based on magnetic induction processes. Such is the size and versatility of the Snail, it can be stuck directly on to a pot, a pan, a mug etc. to heat the contents. This reduces the amount of space required for conventional cooking whilst adding portability to the process. Powered by a high density sugar crystal battery, the Snail converts the energy from the sugar, heating up a coil to conduct the magnetic induction process to the utensil. Inbuilt sensors detect the food type being heated so as to automatically adjust the time and temperature. A simple touch sensitive display with interface helps to monitor the process. 8: GAIA, Ankit Kumar, India – Wall Mounted Air Purification
The GAIA Root concept is a self sustaining, wall mounted ‘personal ecosystem’ that creates energy from a living wall of plants providing air circulation, air purification and temperature control abilities. Envisaged as a personal touch of green, the wall units are modular so can be fitted in to homes and apartments of different sizes as required to provide individualised clean air whilst taking a minimum of space.


9: Elements Modular Kitchen, Mathew Gilbride, USA – All-In-One Kitchen Shelving
Mathew Gilbride’s modular, wall-mounted appliance provides flexible modes of cooking, refrigeration, air conditioning, lighting, and environmental design whilst reducing space. The appliance draws power wirelessly through ‘powermat’ technology applied to the wall, which is supplemented through solar energy as required. Multiple units and surfaces automatically work together through wireless smart networking, whilst customisation is offered by being able to install the units as the user prefers.


10: Instinct Vacuum Cleaner, Berty Bhuruth, Australia – the Sheep-like Cleaner
Berty Bhuruth’s robotic vacuum cleaner concept is a response to a future where people will have less time and less space to store things, making efficient cleaning a problem. The Instinct Vacuum cleaner, a robotic, four-legged device that adapts to its environment, allows it to clean in even the messiest of places. The Instinct chooses the path of less cleaning resistance by consulting 3d models of the room it creates before tackling its task.


11: Lupe, Hand Held Washing Machine, Il-seop So, Korea
Taking its inspiration from the humble steam iron, the Lupe is a hand held waterless ‘washing machine’. At the same time as it cleans clothing, the Lupe also dries and irons, removing the need for individual space intensive appliances. A translucent body magnifies dust, bacteria and other impurities on the textiles, to confirm if such unwanted elements have been removed.


12: A-Laundry, Kai Wai Lee, Taiwan – Community Laundry Concept
The A-Laundry portable washing machine resembles a coin dispenser, albeit with space designed for laundry baskets rather than coins. Kai Wai Lee’s design adapts the laundrette for shared building and communal use. Individually owned laundry baskets are kept by users in their own residence until laundry time. The basket is then placed in the communal machine, removing the need for individual washing machines.


13: Mesh Cooker, Lucian Cucu, Romania – the Expandable Oven & Hob
The Mesh Cooker is a true space saving device taking up room only when in use. The portable device uses retractable aluminium and expandable Teflon to accommodate different food types and sizes. The Mesh Cooker can be placed on a table or anywhere near a socket to plug it in. The cooker is not only small, but flexible, providing the benefits of an oven with a cooking plate – heating food within or on top depending on user preference. When not in use the Mesh Cooker folds away in to a 30 x 10 cm space.


14 MESO, Bogdan, Ionita, Romania – Food Injection!
The MESO is a food supplement injection device that removes the need for cooking, food preparation and associated cleaning by simply injecting the nutrients found in food directly in to the blood stream from different capsules. The device also carries out blood samples to determine what the best nutritional elements are required by the person receiving the ‘meal’.


15: The Drum Washing Machine, Andras Suto, Hungary – Communal Laundry System
Andras Suto’s design allows a community to share a washing machine more easily and efficiently. Assuming further population growth and the development of a more eco friendly mentality, more apartment complexes will have communal washing machines. The design is basically an extractable washing machine drum. Each apartment block would have its own individual drum that also doubles as a laundry basket. The portable drum is then connected to the community machine as and when required.


16: Modular Kitchen Appliance, Shin Woosup, UK – Space Saving Kitchen Range
Shin Woosup addresses a concern he had when looking around his own kitchen – that in the main, appliances are designed independently of one another, limiting spatial considerations to the single appliance itself and not the environment that they sit in. In response, Modular Kitchen Appliances provide an interchangeable base that can be used to operate a toaster, a kettle and even an induction hob. By considering the bigger picture, this conceptual range saves space.


17: Preserved Egg Sweep Robot, Kai Dung, China – Robotic Cleaning Automated cleaning makes a further appearance in the guise of four little robots that will clean your living space whilst you are away or indeed whilst you relax. The robots are charged at a base station where they empty the dust and debris they have collected from your home. This means no more manual cleaning – freeing up time and space – the robots take up little more room than a tennis ball.


18: Qumi, Ilia Vostrov, Russia – Flexible Cooking Unit
Qumi is a fold out universal kitchen set. It can be used to heat, fry and steam a wide variety of food types (including liquids such as soup or sauces). When in storage the Qumi takes up little space (no more than a dinner plate) and is designed to be hung on an induction charging hook, making it wireless and portable. The concept features no display or control panel, rather all instructions are processed via mobile devices in the network ready home of the future.


19: Zephyr, Dulyawat Wongnawa, Thailand – Integrated Laundry System
Dulyawat Wongnawa (an Electrolux Design Lab finalist from 2009) has conceived a storage unit that cleans clothes using ‘Airwash’ technology (with ozone being created to remove bacteria and odours, as currently found in industrial cleaning) and steam to remove wrinkles. The Zephyr integrates a number of laundry processes in to one to free up space.¨

20:  Eco Cleaner, Ahi Andy Mohsen, Iran – the Portable, Compact Dishwasher

The Eco cleaner is a portable dishwasher and composter that uses ultrasonic waves to ionise food and turn it in to reusable waste. Ahi Andy Mohsen’s concept is designed for use within the increasing numbers of single households and specifically meeting dual predictions: that future food will be supplied in capsule form (thus reducing the required size of vessels to prepare and eat from); and that there will be reduced time for household chores. The Eco cleaner is simultaneously green and space efficient.

21: Inflower Clothes Cleaner, Jianjiang Yin – Small Laundry Cleaning Units

The Inflower Clothes cleaner completely rethinks the laundry process, drawing influence (in name at least) from a literal combination of insects and flowers. These solar powered miniature cleaners (each no larger than the palm of a hand) use nano technology to clean clothing without water and take a minimum of space. Jianjiang Yin’s invention also doubles as an air purifier and can be used on clothes that are either in use or in storage with the cleaners placed on the spot that needs cleaning.

22: Bio Robot Refrigerator, Yuriy Dmitriev, Russia – Cool, Green, Food Preservation
Four times smaller than a conventional refrigerator, the Bio Robot cools biopolymer gel through luminescence. Rather than shelves, the non sticky, odourless gel morphs around products to create a separate pod that suspends items for easy access. Without doors, draws and a motor 90% of the appliance is solely given over to its intended purpose. At the same time, all food, drink and cooled products are readily available, odours are contained, and items are kept individually at their optimal temperature by bio robots. The fridge is adaptable – it can be hung vertically, horizontally, and even on the ceiling. Different sizes and dimensions allow it to perfectly fit the accordant dwelling.

23: Clean Closet,Michael Edenius, Sweden – All in One Laundry Concept
The Clean Closet is essentially a closet that washes clothing. Textiles are scanned for impurities and cleaned accordingly with molecular technology that removes dirt and odours. The concept replaces the laundry basket, the wash­ing machine, and drying cabinet to save space and, as no water is used in the process, is kinder to the environment.


24: Dismount Washer, Lichen Guo, China – Wash & Go Laundry
Lichen Guo identifies the conventional washing machine as an unnecessary occupier of space. The Dismount Washer addresses this by combining the cleaning vessel and laundry basket in one. The dirty laundry capsule is placed on a wall mountable motor (or ‘energy stick’) which takes up very little space. The energy stick also dispenses steam to aid the cleansing process.

25: External Refrigerator, Nicolas Hubert, France – External Chilling
Two years in China provided the inspiration for Nicolas Hubert’s external refrigerator.  Fixed directly on the outside wall of residential buildings, the concept is an elaboration on a way of life in northern China where food is kept on balconies in the winter to save space and energy.  During cold seasons and at night, the low external temperatures are used to provide the right climate for items in the fridge. During warmer weather, the sun is used to transform light into energy through solar panels Nicolas reflects Electrolux design values: the shape and finish are kept pure and simple so as to ensure easy integration with the external urban environment, whilst a range of colours and ambient lighting further facilitate this.

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