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Cravings: Things We've Gotta Have

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 2, 2008

What will consumers crave in 2011? A dirty-clothes hamper that actually starts the wash when full? A toaster that scans images onto your whole wheat?

Those were some of the winning concepts in Electrolux Design Lab 2008, a contest that challenged industrial design students around the world to create appliances for the Internet generation. Entries had to be original, anticipate needs and technology two to three years from now, and address food storage, cooking or washing.

Is there a chance we may really happen on one of these at Best Buy someday? Of course, Electrolux says. Well, maybe.

Flatshare

Stefan Buchberger, University of Applied Arts, Austria

Design Lab's first-prize winner is a fridge with stackable modules to accommodate up to four roomies. Decorate your module with a special skin, or customize it with add-ons, like a bottle opener. When you graduate - or storm out in a huff - grab your goodies and go.

iBasket

Guopeng Liang, Tongji University, China

When the remote-controlled, wireless iBasket fills with dirty laundry, it flips on. Check the status of your fave jeans from your workplace PC, but remember, you still have to toss them in the dryer when you get home. And fold them. And put them away. iBasket took second prize.

Coox

Antoine Lebrun, L'Ecole de Design Nantes Atlantique, France

Cook and eat anywhere in the house with this stovetop on wheels. Just don't tell Mom.

The three-burner glass ceramic surface heats using induction technology, so it cools quickly when you're done. And the table height is adjustable, so it can become an extension of the dining room table or the coffee table. Coox won third place.

Sook

Adam Brodowski, Savannah College of Art and Design, United States

The cutting board with the great big brain measures the weight and moisture of foods on or near it, and digitally analyzes flavors, suggesting pleasing combinations. As it works, it builds a recipe on the screen, which its sous-chef (you) can rearrange or add to. When the dish is prepared, Sook, a contest finalist, can photograph it and upload both image and recipe to a social networking site for sharing.

Scan Toaster

Sung Bae Chang, Sejong University, South Korea

In this very busy world, who has time to wait for toast? The tiny Scan Toaster, another finalist, goes to work with you, where it hooks to your PC and prints everything from budget reports to pictures of your boss. On toast. Why? I'm not sure.

Penny Carnathan

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