Six designs for the home of the future

For the past 11 years, Electrolux has run the Electrolux Design Lab competition for undergraduate and graduate design students, which aims to identity “innovative ideas for future households”.

The Future Hunter-Gatherer concept, by Pan Wang

Source: Electrolux Design Lab

The Future Hunter-Gatherer concept, by Pan Wang

This year the competition’s theme is “creating healthy homes” and the judges have selected six finalists from more than 1700 international submissions.

The finalists will present their work to the jury, and an overall winner will be announced on 12 November. The top prize is 5000 euros (£3960) and a six-month paid internship at an Electrolux global design centre.

We take a look at the six finalised designs, include concepts to make carrots taste like steak and a hologram-based game that allows cooks to become “hunter-gatherers”.

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UrbanCONE

UrbanCONE, by Michał Pośpiech

The UrbanCone is an air-purifying drone that can be used inside or outside. Its ultra-light construction and photovoltaic solar panel wings allow it to fly with a “jellyfish”-like motion. Changeable filters sit beneath the wings. The UrbanCONE is radio-controlled and can cluster in population areas with greater need for filtration.

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Lotus

Lotus, by Fulden Dehneli

Lotus is an air purifier with three portable and rechargeable air cleaning balls. While the main body offers a general purification, the balls – Pure Ball, Odor Ball and Humid Ball –  can be taken anywhere according to need and perform specific tasks. The Lotus is based on “Super Plasma Ion Technology” which generates active hydrogen and oxygen ions to eliminate biological contaminants.

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Set to Mimic

Set to Mimic, by Sorina Răsteanu

Set to Mimic is a device that implants tastes and smells into people’s brains, making one type of food taste like another. A noninvasive transparent gel patch containing a microchip can be placed on the user’s head. This communicates with the brain to make the wearer experience a taste or smell from their memory. Răsteanu says: That way you can eat a carrot but have the impression that you’re eating an ice cream or a steak, which makes it easier to lead a healthy life.”

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Future Hunter Gatherer

Future Hunter-Gatherer, by Pan Wang

Future Hunter-Gatherer, developed by Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design student Pan Wang, is a “virtual grocery shopping experience inspired by nature”. It projects a hologram that lets the user play a game to gather food by fishing or hunting. The food the user collects in the game is then transmitted to a nearby store, which delivers the real food to the user’s door.

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PETE

PETE, by Kovács Apor

The PETE concept is a device to turn plastic bottles into clothing. The user can choose the required clothing type, colour and cut, and the machine gives the right amount of PET bottles needed. It then turns the bottles into polyester and prints the garments.

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PureTowel

Pure Towel, by Leonardo Armenta

PureTowel is a smart towel hanger that instantly cleans your towel after use. Using an ultra violet ray and a high-speed dryer fan, it purifies and dries the towel, eliminating bacteria and reducing humidity.

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