Electrolux Design Lab: Top 50 Become Top 20

So Electrolux Design Lab is still in full swing although things are really hotting up now as we approach the finals. At this moment in time the 20 semi finalists have been chosen and shortly this will be whittled down to the eight lucky designers who compete against one another in the final stage of the competition. To qualify for stage four, the designers had to successfully develop the concept and the visual details of their ideas. Then a panel of Electrolux professionals evaluated the students’ work and provided them with some constructive feedback that will hopefully help them to progress their designs to the next stage of the competition. The next and last stage before choosing the finalists is functionality development whereby the students are asked to draw back to the key consumer insight of their concept, describe how this can be seen in the concept interaction with the consumer, choose the key functionality to the consumer of the concept and describe that in more detail. There are some really interesting, inspired and innovative designs that have made it through to the semi finals but as I said only eight will make it through to the finals. You can see all 20 of the semi final concepts on the dedicated Electrolux Design Lab website so don’t forget to pop over there and see which ones are your favourites. I have had a good look at all of them and I can safely say that I have eight favourites of my own that I hope will make it through to the finals and I am happy to share them with you here. 2D Smart Kitchen by Ermi van Oers
The aim of the 2D Smart Kitchen is to save time and space, and to make cooking easier and more comfortable so it becomes accessible for everyone. Designed to enable everyone to create healthy, culinary meals, the kitchen employs an intelligent recipe advisor and a number of advanced cooking machines. The recipe advisor knows what’s in your fridge and knows what you have eaten before, therefore it can suggests recipes that you can make using the contents of your fridge and it also gives advice on how to achieve a healthy and varied eating pattern. When foods are about to expire, the kitchen will warn you, so less food goes to waste. The kitchen appliances are incorporated into the wall and the space around them is an interactive screen which is controlled by motion capture, touch and voice. The kitchen is also self cleaning and when the appliances are not in use they emit an atmospheric ambient light perfect for entertaining.

Breathing wall by Jeabyun Yeon
Breathing wall is a futuristic wall-integrated air cleaning concept for people who live in urban areas and want to relax and rest in a home with fresh air. Inspired by the gills of a fish, Breathing Wall works through physical information that is collected from smart devices that help to provide the best rest environment tailored to each user to help relieve the stresses of modern day urban living.

Orbita by Natalia Aguado
Orbita is a device created to keep your home clean. It is an innovative hoover that removes dust particles by projecting a light beam and detecting the shadows cast by any dust and then removing it. The energy saving device only cleans areas where dirt is detected and it only functions when the owner is moving. Through wearing a movement detector accessory the owner is gently swayed to live a more active and lead a healthier lifestyle. The dirt that is collected by Orbita is also recyclable. It will be collected in three separate compartments depending on whether the dirt is organic, inorganic or metal and will eventually form a dirt ‘pill’ that can be recycled. When the compartments are full, the colour of the outer shell of Orbita will change signalling that the machine needs to be emptied.

Atem by Małgorzata Blachnicka
The main idea behind Atem is to provide constant air circulation in our living spaces. It is a semi-invisible device that could replace our current windows. It translates outside weather conditions to the interior, improving them in the process. It allows us to experience the feeling of sitting out on a terrace on a perfect day, or the changing times of day and seasons without stepping foot outside. Atem can also change its transparency creating a shadow curtain to shield from strong rays on sunny days and its colour can also change to emphasize and enhance the user’s experience of the world outside.

Air Drop by Jillian Tackaberry
The idea behind the Air Drop is to provide its user with the cleanest air possible using two filtration methods. The first method uses a typical filter to reduce actual particles that exist in the air. These particles come from items like candles and pets. The second method of filtration is the growth of air plants. Air plants are plants that can thrive with only sunlight and air. An air plant is more effective than a typical plant which uses soil because the soil can harbour dust and mildew, two common allergens. Air drop is hung from the ceiling making it ideal for small living spaces as it does not take up any valuable floor space. Ideally, it would be hung near a window perhaps with several other Air Drops to increase effectiveness.

Mab by Adrian Perez Zapata
Mab is an automated cleaning system consisting of hundreds of mini-robots who will clean all the surfaces in your home. It is designed specifically for those with a busy lifestyle who have neither the time nor the inclination to dedicate the hours necessary to keep a clean home. Mab can be charged in a variety of ways and uses only water and a chemical substance that gives disinfectant properties, in order to clean the home.

Atomium by Luiza Silva
Atomium is a 3D  food printer that develops meals based on the users’ desires of flavour and shape of their food. Children can draw a sketch of how they would like their food to look and Atomium will create the desired aesthetic meal by scanning the sketch and printing it out using molecular ingredients to construct nutritional balance for user´s body, based on the user´s medical data. The product uses a finger digital identification system to recognize the user and connect itself with that person’s most recent personal data, such as medical check-ups and daily activities that can influence the nutritional balance of the user’s body.

Music Yue by Jiawei Huang
Music Yue is a noise converter that can convert the city noise to music or dispel it. Living in the city means we are often prone to disruption through traffic noise, construction noise or just general noise of city life. This noise can become very stressful and disrupt our home life. Music Yue takes its inspiration from the tuning fork. In silent mode, it can produce sounds of the same intensity as the noise, but the vibration in the opposite direction will counteract it. Users can also upload their own favourite music to the device using a mobile phone, computer or bluetooth device.

Image courtesy of Fotografiska.eu

Come with me to Stockholm!
So those are my favourites for the top eight designs to reach the finals. Unfortunately we have to wait until the 12th September to find out which ones will be chosen by the expert judging panel. As official UK blogger for Electrolux Design Lab I will be heading out to the finals in Stockholm on the 16th October to watch the results unfold live and I have some great news!! Electrolux are allowing me to take one lucky reader from the UK with me to Stockholm to attend the awards ceremony. How exciting is that? We’ll get to attend the day’s events at Stockholm’s Fotografiska Museum and this will include a cooking workshop, a design talk with the jury, student presentations, and the awards ceremony itself all topped off by dinner and drinks and an overnight stay at The Nobis Hotel. Doesn’t that sound like fun? So which one of you wants to come with me? Obviously I can’t take you all, so in order to be in with a chance of accompanying me on this fantastic trip all you need to do is enter below by leaving a comment in which you explain which one of the designs from the 20 semifinalists is your favourite and why you would like to see that particular concept win! A winner will be chosen at random and announced on Friday 20th September. So…what are you waiting for, get commenting! But remember you have to comment through the rafflecopter widget for your entry to count!
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