Electrolux Design Lab
Electrolux Announce Design Lab 2011 Theme – ‘Intelligent Mobility’
Annual global design challenge seeks submissions that consider ‘intelligent mobility’ of future home appliances.
Electrolux Design Lab 2011 invites industrial design students and recent graduates of industrial design to compete for a six-month paid internship and prize money by submitting ideas that consider intelligent mobility within home appliances. The brief specifically seeks solutions that address how people prepare food, clean and do dishes both within and beyond the home.
Solutions that Inspire, Support and Guide
“Now in its ninth year, Electrolux Design Lab allows young designers to test themselves and gain valuable insight in to the world of commercial product design” says Henrik Otto, SVP of Global Design at Electrolux. “In particular, the 2011 brief seeks design concepts that will inspire users whilst utilising existing technology to offer support and guidance.” Otto continued “This challenge is not just about making appliances that are physically more portable, rather it is about providing flexible control to liberate time and support creative expression.”
Entrants will also need to consider the heritage of Electrolux. Submissions should reflect Scandinavian Design values by being sensitive to the environment, providing intuitive ease of use and aesthetic appeal.
Autumn finals in Europe
Eight finalists will each be invited to participate in a final event in the autumn of 2011 held within a European city (to be announced) to present their individual 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.
Deadline for entry is 23:59 Sunday May 1, 2011 via the Electrolux Design Lab website: www.electrolux.com/designlab.
Electrolux is a global leader in home appliances and appliances for professional use, selling more than 40 million products to customers in 150 countries every year. The company focuses on innovations that are thoughtfully designed, based on extensive consumer insight, to meet the real needs of consumers and professionals. Electrolux products include refrigerators, dishwashers, washing machines, vacuum cleaners and cookers sold under esteemed brands such as Electrolux, AEG-Electrolux, Zanussi, Eureka and Frigidaire. In 2005, Electrolux had sales of SEK 100 billion and 57,000 employees. For more information, visit http://www.electrolux.com/press
Electrolux Design Lab 2011 – Details & Trends
Electrolux Design Lab 2011 Brief in full:
Electrolux Design Lab 2011 invites industrial design students to create home appliances that consider intelligent mobility. Your ideas will shape how people prepare and store food, clean and do their dishes, both within and beyond the home. In particular we seek a design concept that will offer personalisation and inspires users whilst utilising existing technology to offer support and guidance.
Additionally, and in keeping with the heritage of Electrolux, your concepts should reflect Scandinavian Design values – being sensitive to the environment, providing intuitive ease of use and aesthetic appeal.
Prize:
1st prize: Six-month paid internship at an Electrolux global design centre and 5,000 Euros.
2nd Prize 3,000 Euros
3rd Prize 2,000 Euros
Key dates
Final Submission date 23:59, Sunday 1st May 2011
Final to be held in Autumn 2011 – location and exact date to be determined early 2011
Format:
Electrolux Design Lab is open to Industrial Design Students and recent Industrial Design Graduates (graduation taking place in 2010 or anytime after) that have not started working in the field. The field is ‘restricted’ in this manner as the first prize entails a work placement of six-months that requires industrial design capabilities and the prize is not split e.g. the cash prize can not be awarded independently without the six month work placement.
From all submissions 25 ‘semi-finalists’ are selected and should be announced in June 2011.
From 25 semi-finalists eight finalists are selected to attend a live event to present their concepts to a jury panel of design experts. The eight finalists should be announced in July.
Intelligent Mobility Trends: Time – Convenience – Control – Independence
Time & Flexibility
With changing household structures and longer working hours the demands and constraints upon people’s time can be considerable. As society has become more mobile, the pattern of routine activities has become more dispersed. Technology, and especially mobility, makes daily routines more flexible.
Source: http://www.transport.uwe.ac.uk/research/projects/futures-teleworking.asp
Intuitive, Products and Services
With the development of new technologies, brands are increasingly offering intuitive support to consumers. As examples: Amazon.com suggests new titles, releases and products that fit previous buying patterns. General Motors has a real time support system that warns drivers about potential dangers from other vehicles. The system tracks an individual vehicle location and speed and exchanges the detail with other vehicles on the road. Source: Electrolux Thinking Ahead Report 2009
Electrolux are already active in this field now offering an oven that can be controlled via a mobile device – pre-heating can be initiated on the way home saving time and providing control for the user.
In addition to a remote controlled oven, the Electrolux Infinity I-Kitchen refrigerator features a 480×800 pixel touch-screen that enables you to control functions, search for tips and recipes on the net, access a calendar, reminders, notes, contacts and photos in a clean user-interface. Both solutions empower the user by offering greater control, freedom and inspiration.
Smart Control
Consumers now can control all of the home’s systems while at home or away. The result is smart, real-time control over virtually every mechanism in the house.
The goal of this interconnected Web of actions is a smarter, more energy efficient home tailored to the homeowner’s lifestyle.”
Source: Ben Arnold, Consumer Electronics Association, 2010
DLNA is a collaborative project between 245 consumer technology brands working together to help devices talk to one another – needed to create the home of the future. Electrolux are already trialling this technology in Italy within a smart grid project.
Source: Electrolux Thinking Ahead Report, 2009
“Among suggested benefits that could be offered by smart homes are improved energy efficiency (and lower electrical bills), improved security, “upgradeable” home appliances, on-demand video programming, and safety mechanisms”
Source: Smart Home Concepts, Alladi Venkatesh Ph.D
