Gizmodo Australia » electrolux

Electrolux Brings Us One Step Closer To A Fireplace In A Can

Sean Fallon — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 00:20:00 +0000

We like to put everything else in a can, so why not fire? That must be what designer Camillo Vanacore was thinking when he dreamed up this portable, capsule fireplace.

The concept involves some sort of magical ceramic from outer space that starts out opaque, but becomes transparent when exposed to the heat of a flame. The fireplace also seems like it would be small enough to fit in one hand. I wouldn’t expect to go to the grocery store anytime soon to pick up a six-pack of fire—but it is an interesting design at least. [Six Different Ways via Apartment Therapy via DVICE]

Screw Cooking: Grow Your Own Meat From Animal Cells

Adam Frucci — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 15:20:00 +0000

The Cocoon Cooker isn’t just some fancy steamer or something like that. No, it’s a machine that actually grows meat and fish from heated animal cells. A-whaaa?

It’s a mere design concept, sadly, as we don’t have the science of growing animal proteins quite figured out yet. But Electrolux is serious about making it a reality, giving the designer a $US7347 prize and a six-month paid internship at their design centre. Will this someday result in Cocoon-grown steaks? One can only hope. [Daily Mail via Fast Company]

5 Gadgets You Probably Won’t Find In Your Kitchen Of The Future

Sean Fallon — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 22:40:00 +0000

This year’s crop of Electrolux Design Lab entries include several gadgets you have little chance of finding in your kitchen of the future.

Teleport Fridge

Why: Unless you can find a way to live for another 1000 years, a fridge that teleports food to you probably won’t be a part of your kitchen of the future.

Cocoon

Why: Test tube meat…mmmm good!

Wall Oven

Why: The fire department might have a problem with you openly zapping food with a three laser cooking system.

Origin Bubbles

Why: “Self-contained, palmed-size packets, the Origin Bubbles electronically regulate the temperature of food molecules. These molecules are then transformed into tasty, real life dishes at the touch of a button.”

Is this molecule…submarine…thingy even based on actual science?

Vaccine Refrigerator

Why: If you need a magnetically cooled fridge to house over 1000 vaccines and antivenins, chances are the apocalypse has occurred. [Electrolux via Appliancist]

Taste Test is our week-long tribute to the leaps that occur when technology meets cuisine, spanning everything from the historic breakthroughs that made food tastier and safer to the Earl-Grey-friendly replicators we impatiently await in the future.

Electrolux Kitchen Designs Have Travelled From The Future

Nick Broughall — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 00:00:17 +0000

These new kitchen concept designs from Electrolux literally look like they’re from the future. Man, I wish time travel was possible…

The Rendez Vous (pictured above) is an all-in-one dining table and kitchen. Not only do you sit around to eat your meals, but you can charge your mobile phone just by popping it on the table, or activate kitchen appliances like a blender or toaster oven the same way. Throw on an induction pan, and you can cook right there on the table, with advanced sensors supplying heat to wherever you place the pan, rather than having dedicated zones for cooking. Underneath the table there are modular drawers to store any manner of appliances, including a fridge, while a virtual chef will guide you through the cooking process.

Meanwhile, the Volare design is “an entire kitchen tucked away in an illuminated piece of art”. It features touch sensitive controls, can fold out to become an induction stovetop, can dispense ice and has customisable functions.

Both designs look fantastic, but it’s important to remember that they’re concept designs, which means the chances of us actually seeing them in our lifetime is as good as convincing Tetsuya to be your personal chef. Still, If they did exist, I’d be planning a kitchen renovation right about now…

[Electrolux Design lab]

Electrolux Mini Kitchen Includes Tablet PC and Probably Loneliness

Dan Nosowitz — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 18:00:00 +0000

Making dinner for two? Then move along. The Electrolux Personal Mini Kitchen concept is designed to hold the bare essentials for one person: A small silicon hotplate, a tiny soda-can-sized fridge, and a tablet PC.

The Mini Kitchen is designed for the growing numbers of young and single people in China, and features an all-in-one design including tiny facsimiles of a fridge, stovetop, and silverware. The “cook box” is sort of like a compartmentalised bento box that can be used for both cooking and serving, which is actually pretty clever. The tablet PC is a small netbook-type that is mostly intended for chatting (as it features a webcam) and looking up recipes. Unfortunately for all you single-and-staying-that-way types, it is just a concept for now, but it seems fairly marketable if the price could be kept down. [Yanko Design]

Electrolux Vacuum Ad Pokes Fun at Suicide, Really Does Suck

Elaine Chow — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 05:45:00 +0000

Wow. I’ve seen a couple ads of questionable taste in my day, but this one—in which a desperate “live jumper” takes a leap but doesn’t hit the ground—really takes the cake. [Youku Buzz]

Flatshare Fridge Separates Your Roommate’s Rotten Food From Yours

Gizmodo US Edition — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 03:00:00 +0000

If you’ve ever lived with a roommate who seems to enjoy experimenting with mold in your communal fridge, you can probably appreciate this invention from Austrian design student Stefan Buchberger. The Flatshare Fridge, one of nine finalists in the Electrolux Design Lab 2008 competition, consists of up to four stackable modules on top of a base station. Each module can be further customised with add-ons like bottle openers or a whiteboard.

Buchberger said he decided to create Flatshare from personal experience, after discovering that “there is nothing more disgusting than a dirty fridge in a shared flat.” I had one of those experiences. One former roommate had made a creamy fruit salad in the fall, and plum forgotten about it when she moved out in the winter. I could’ve sworn the monstrosity that greeted me three months later asked me if I was the Gatekeeper. [Flatshare Fridge set via Electrolux

iBasket Laundry Concept is Clothes Hamper, Washer For The Lazy

Gizmodo US Edition — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 19:30:00 +0000

Like most New Yorkers, my building has no laundry facilities of its own and, in order to get clean clothes, I have to summon the willpower to drag my brimming bag three blocks. Oh, if only I had this automated washing machine basket instead. Designed by Guopeng Liang and one of the finalists in Electrolux’s Design Lab ‘08 contest, the iBasket is a space saving clothes hamper and washing machine in one.

The device sports an all clear body and is programmed to begin the wash cycle once your clothes pile up to a certain weight. After giving your unmentionables a good rinse down, it sends a message to your PC or mobile phone via its integrated wi-fi. Other than the annoyingly unimaginative name (trust me, iAm as iSick of iThis and iThat as you guys are), this gadget idea seems pretty golden. [Born Rich]

Spherical Washing Machine Saves Space and Aching Backs

Sean Fallon — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 22:40:00 +0000

It may not be as inconspicuous as the laundry lounge chair, but this Sfera spherical washing machine design does have a few notable advantages. First off, it is compact and it can be tucked away in the corner of a bathroom. Second, its rotating spherical tank makes unloading a breeze. All you need to do is turn it over and undo the hatch. The problem is that the Sfera doesn’t appear to be viable in its current form. Issues like how the machine would work and whether or not it would be safe to wall mount are not addressed. Still, the concept is intriguing.

[Product Design Forums via The Design Blog]

Electrolux Connected Griller Seems Awesome For Social Cooking

Jason Chen — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 22:00:00 +0000

Chris Fox’s Electrolux concept would be the missing piece in any Korean BBQ night out, if by “missing piece” you mean “a slight upgrade to what you currently have.” Instead of one gigantic grill in the middle of the table, this concept links up many different cookers and plates via daisy chain and can all be powered by one outlet. Great for cooking your own meat to optimum tenderness, but even greater for having your own home BBQ without having to buy one of those industrial sized cookers. Just a design for now, damn it. [Yanko Design]