Kiwi in Top 10 of Global Electrolux Design Competition

For Immediate Release 21ST September 2012

Kiwi Designer in Top 10 of Global Electrolux Design Lab Competition

Ten Electrolux Design Lab finalists offer a fuller sensory experience

New Zealand’s own Ben de la Roche of Massey University has been named in the top 10 finalists of the annual Global Electrolux Design Lab competition. His “Impress” refrigerator submission sees him bound for Milan to present his concept to a jury of professional designers and experienced creators on 25th October 2012.

The 10th edition of the annual Electrolux Design Lab competition challenged industrial design students to consider how a fuller sensory experience can be incorporated into everyday home appliances. Ben’s concept was chosen from a field of 1,200 entrants from across the globe.

Ben de la Roche’s “Impress” refrigerator submission promises to change the way we refrigerate and offers a sustainable and unique solution to food usage and storage.

“The concept for the Impress Refrigerator began as the rather immature idea of being able to physically throw your leftovers at the wall and they somehow would stay there and refrigerate,” says de la Roche.

“After the realisation of the inevitable issues in my idea, I began refining my concept, researching and finding inspiration in things such as the children's toy ‘Pin Art’.”

Electrolux will introduce the 10 finalists, representing New Zealand, Australia, Brazil, China, Denmark, England, Norway, Poland and Spain, to a jury consisting of award-winning chef and restaurateur Davide Oldani, renowned designer Dante Donegani, popular design blogger Kelly Beall and Vice President Design at Electrolux, Henrik Otto.

“As we are celebrating the 10th anniversary of Electrolux Design Lab, we wanted to give the students a brief that challenges them to create holistic sensorial experiences,” says Henrik Otto, Vice President Design at Electrolux.

“The ten concepts that have reached the Design Lab 2012 finals are an overview of the kind of creative design thinking that surprises and challenges us, and creates discussion about the future.”

“The Design Lab competition is a great opportunity for students and the 'real world' to link up and share their ideas,” says de la Roche.

October finals at the Triennale Design Museum, Milan

De la Roche and the nine other finalists will each present their concepts at the Triennale Design Museum, Milan on 25th October. The jury will consider entries based on ideas of home appliances that provide a fuller sensory experience when awarding the first prize of a six-month paid internship at an Electrolux global design centre and €5,000. There is also a second prize of €3,000 and a third prize of €2,000.

The 10 finalists can be seen below (Ben de la Roche’s “Impress” is number 8):

1: Aeroball

Country: Poland

Designer: Jan Ankiersztajn

School: Uniwersytet Artystyczny w Poznaniu

The Aeroball is a revolutionary way to improve the spaces in which we live. In tiny bubbles that float and hover, the Aeroball cleans and filters the air while hovering in place. When filtration is not enough, the Aeroball also comes in scented varieties. Designed with inspiration from nature, the glowing shell of the sphere absorbs light during the day and radiates at night, a delicate indoor firefly always working to improve the air that we breathe. Space is such a valuable commodity these days so the Aeroball works to purify and refresh the environments we live in more precious and beautiful.

2: Easystir

Country: Norway

Designer: Lisa Frodadottir Låstad

School: Norwegian University of Science and Technology

The Easystir stirs your perfectly planned dinner for you so your hands are free to make the most of life. By utilising magnets that react to your induction stove the Easystir will literally save you time and money by never needing to be charged, batteries replaced or plugged into a wall socket. The stirring speed can be adjusted easily by the user; while the Easystir adjusts itself to fit into almost any pot. It's compact, dishwasher safe and can be stored as simply and neatly as any other kitchen utensil. While Easystir is working hard in the kitchen you are free to spend more time with your friends and family.

3: ICE

Country: Spain

Designer: Julen Pejenaute

School: Universidad Politecnica de Valencia

ICE sheds new light on the world of cooking. ICE can not only be used as basic lamp with adjustable brightness or colour to fit the mood of any dining occasion. “Experience” is one mode used to enhance your meal by adding interactive backgrounds that react to you movements and creating dynamic links between objects on the table. When placed above any cooking or dining area ICE can scan its surroundings and assist the user in creating the best meal to suit any occasion. ICE can scan ingredients you've already chosen to cook and give suggestions on meals that can be made from those ingredients. The user can also access a vast database of recipes and ICE will guide you every step of the way. ICE is a great way to learn and experience a whole new world of cooking in your own home.

4: Mo'Sphere

Country: Mexico

Designer: Yunuén Hernández

School: Centro de Investigaciones de Diseño Industrial- UNAM

The excitement and adventure of creating something new is what makes cooking fun. Mo'Sphere allows the user to experiment with and experience new flavours and sensations through the exciting world of molecular cooking, which up till now has been dominated by celebrity chefs and Five Star restaurants. This molecular cooking appliance makes use of physical and chemical reactions during cooking. The result? Flash freezing, foams, frosts, gelés and even cotton candy. With Mo'Sphere your kitchen becomes a place of exciting new creations and tastes the like you've never known.

5: SmartPlate

Country: United Kingdom/Romania

Designer: Julian Caraulani

School: Coventry University

Share the recipe of sound with SmartPlate. SmartPlate is the world’s first intelligent dish that physically understands food and transforms it into sound, completing the circle of senses by which we understand what we eat. The plate wirelessly connects to your mobile device, then by measuring different aspects of your ingredients it identifies food and precisely attaches musical notes, harmonies and rhythm to each ingredient. The user can actively listen, compose and interact with recipes of sound, sharing the experience in the most intimate way: by music.

6: Spummy

Country: Brazil

Designer: Alexandre de Bastiani

School: Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná

The Spummy is the future of flavour creation. Using nano-technology the Spummy creates edible foam with any flavour or combination of flavours you can imagine. With endless possibilities of flavour combinations this is the perfect tool for those looking to impress. Spummy is inspired by Ferran Adrià, the inventor of flavoured foam that helped win him Restaurant of the Year four years in a row. With the Spummy the future of 5 star cuisine is possible in your own home.

7: Treat

Country: Australia

Designer: Amy Mon-Chu Liu

School: Queensland University of Technology

Tree + Eat = Treat

The Treat seamlessly combines classic food storage techniques, such as vacuum sealing, with modern remote, mobile technology for the perfect combination of freshness and convenience that is more important than ever in our increasingly busy lives. The treat has a clever and intuitive way of communicating and warning you when

your food is expiring by firstly, changing colour as the food ages and finally dropping from the tree when the food has expired. You can even access the Treat with a mobile app and tell it to preheat your meal before you even get home. Treat yourself to fresher food and more of your own valuable time with The Treat.

8: Impress

Country: New Zealand

Designer: Ben de la Roche

School: Massey University

How many times have you put left overs in the fridge and forgotten about them, only to come back a week later and find them spoiled? Impress completely transforms the way we refrigerate. Impress is a refrigeration wall that holds your food and drinks for you, out in the open and not behind closed doors so you will always remember the lunch you prepared for work or find that midnight snack with ease. Also, Impress refrigerator does not refrigerate when there is nothing in it and uses less power the fewer items are pressed into it. Waste no more leftovers, waste less space and save more money with Impress.

9: Memory

Country: China

Designer: WenYao Cai

School: Guangdong Industry Technical College of China

A small but important part of many people’s lives is the intimacy of having a barista who remembers who you are and more importantly how you have your coffee. Memory is a coffee maker that uses hand print recognition to make the right cup of coffee for the right person. Whether you want weak, medium or strong coffee or maybe you prefer an espresso to a ristretto. Any way that you might think the perfect cup of coffee is made, Memory will remember every time. You tell it what you want, it scans your hand and the next time you want that exact same cup of coffee Memory is ready and waiting to serve it to you.

10: Tastee

Country: Denmark

Designer: Christopher Holm-Hansen

School: Technical University of Denmark

Don’t you wish you had the sophisticated palette of a professional chef? The Electrolux Tastee is a taste indicator that is used when cooking to assist the chef in bringing out the flavours in the meal. The Tastee is the shape and size of a regular spoon but with one main difference, The Tastee tastes for you. Using receptors based on the human taste bud the Tastee tells you what you need, what you don't and maybe even something you would never imagine. Tastee helps you make the perfectly balanced, flavourful meal for you and your family to enjoy.

For further information please visit our website www.electroluxdesignlab.com

-ENDS-

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