Semifinalists

Electrolux Design Lab announced this year’s Semi-finalists. More than 600 iGeneration-design entries have been sent in from students in 49 countries. An Electrolux jury selected 9 entries to take to the finals in Zurich, Switzerland, on October 9, 2008.

For Design Lab’s sixth edition, Electrolux invited undergraduate and graduate industrial design students to create tomorrow’s home appliances for the Internet generation. Submissions should be looking 2-3 years into the future and address food storage, cooking, and/or washing.

The nine finalists are:

• Sook: the social networking recipe generator with electronic tongue, by
Adam Brodowski, Savannah College of Art and Design, USA.
• Coox: the rollaway cooking table, by Antoine Lebrun, L'Ecole de Design
Nantes Atlantique, France.
• E-bag: the kinetic energy-powered cooler bag, by Apore Püspöki, Moholy-
Nagy University of Arts and Design, Budapest, Hungary.
• Stratosphere: the sanitizing clothes rack/valet, by Atilla Sáfráni, Moholy-
Nagy University of Arts and Design, Budapest, Hungary.
• iBasket: the Wi-Fi-connected clothes hamper and washing machine, by
Guopeng Liang, Tongji University, China.
• Vesta: the foldaway cooktop with RFID scanner, by Matthias Pinkert, HTW
Dresden (FH) University of Applied Sciences, Germany.
• Drawer Kitchen: the desk-drawer hotplate and fridge, by Nojae Park, Chiba
University, Japan.
• Flatshare: the modular fridge solution for shared living spaces, by Stefan
Buchberger, University of Applied Arts, Vienna, Austria.
• Scan Toaster: the USB toaster that prints news, weather and snapshots
onto slices of toast, by Sung Bae Chang, Sejong University, South Korea

The main criteria are the originality of the concept, loyalty to Electrolux brand values, the creativeness of the design, consumer insight, and the degree to which the concept reflects such iGeneration core interests and concerns as mobility, convenience, time, materials, personalization, entertainment, technology, and sustainability.

The competition targets the upper-age segment of the Internet generation (25-35) comprising brand-conscious, busy young professionals who are independent, concerned about the environment, and whose lives are intertwined with technology and online social networks. “We received daring ideas and solutions,” says Henrik Otto, Senior Vice President of Global Design at Electrolux.

The nine finalists have been invited to participate in the final event October 9 in Zurich, Switzerland, where an international jury of designers and experts will review the finalist entries and select a winner. The Design Lab 2008 has a First Prize of 5,000 Euro and a six-month internship at one of the Electrolux global design centers. The second prize is 3,000 Euro and third prize 2,000 Euro.

ciao