The Electrolux Design Lab celebrates 10 years of global competition. Each year, Electrolux selects a competition theme based on consumer insight and global trend analysis and asks students to come up with solutions
“Ten years ago, we set out to map the future,” said Henrik Otto, senior Vice President of global design at Electrolux. “In what direction is our industry evolving? How will we cook, clean and wash our clothes in the years to come? What will the appliance of the future look like? To-date, we have reviewed more than 10,000 design concepts and each year I see new concepts and ideas I never thought were possible.”
For 2012, Electrolux challenged students to draw inspiration from professional experience creators (chefs, architects, interior designers, hotel designers, etc.) to design home appliances that will provide a fuller sensory experience. It might be through state of the art technology or it might be through a blend of textures and surfaces.
“I believe the importance of our sensory perception is underestimated in a lot of today’s design,” said Otto. “Too much importance is accorded to the visual. What if we could incorporate our other senses into design? Could we smell who is calling? Or feel what’s on TV?”
Ten designers, chosen from a field of 1,200 entrants, will present their concepts to a jury of professionals at a final event in Milan, Italy. The finalists, who represent Australia, Brazil, China, Denmark, England, New Zealand, Norway, Poland and Spain, will present their concepts and prototypes to a jury consisting of chef and restaurateur Davide Oldani, designer Dante Donegani, design blogger Kelly Beall and Senior Vice President Design at Electrolux, Henrik Otto.
The final event will take place at the Triennale Design Museum in Milan on October 25, 2012. The jury will award the first prize of a six-month paid internship at an Electrolux global design centre and 5,000 Euros. In addition, they will award a second prize (3,000 Euros) and third prize (2,000 Euros).
The final concepts range from the Aeroball that cleans and filters the air while hovering in place to Mo’Sphere, which allows the user to experiment with and experience new flavors and sensations through molecular cooking. Other entries include the Easystir, a hands-free stirrer that uses magnets to react to an induction stove, an experience lamp that can scan its surrounding and interact in a dynamic fashion; SmartPlate, an intelligent dish that physically understands food and transforms it into sound; Spummy, which creates edible foam with any flavor or combination of flavors; Treat, a combination of food storage techniques, such as vacuum sealing, and modern remote, mobile technology; Impress, a refrigeration wall that holds your food and drinks for you, out in the open and not behind closed doors; Memory, a coffee maker that uses hand print recognition to make the right cup of coffee for the right person, and Tastee (pictured), a taste indicator that is used when cooking to assist the chef in bringing out the flavors in a meal.
More information on the competition and how to apply can be found here.
