Electrolux Kitchen Tech Contest

[rhoenix]

After being bored at work and looking through Popular Science's website, I saw this article - and the three top winners were all interesting. I'll repost them here for others' thoughts.

THIRD PLACE: Elements Modular Kitchen

Taking third place is the Elements Modular Kitchen, an adaptive modular shelving unit that combines cooking, refrigerating, air conditioning and lighting into one wall-mounted appliance. Designer Matthew Gilbride envisions the installation of multiple units in entirely customizable arrangements, appointing refrigerator and stove-top space with the press of a button. Powered by wireless technology, each unit’s functions can be easily modified to create multiple work stations, condensing entire kitchens into a single wall display.

SECOND PLACE: Bio Robot Refridgerator

In second place is the Bio Robot Refrigerator, which replaces the clunky, space-wasting door and drawer-based body with a non-sticky, odorless polymer gel. The gel morphs around groceries, suspending them at their optimum temperature. This design eliminates the need for a motor, allowing 90 percent of the appliance to be spent on its intended purpose, and is four times smaller than a standard fridge. The suspension system is secure enough that the unit can be hung vertically, horizontally, or even from the ceiling. Russian designer Yuriy Dmitriev said he was inspired the "home-trees" in the 1954 sci-fi novel "The Houses of Iszm" by Jack Vance. The Bio Robot Refrigerator won the People's Choice award by popular vote on the Electrolux Design Lab website.

FIRST PLACE: The Snail

The winning design is Peter Alwin’s Snail, a portable heating and cooking device that can be stuck directly on a pot or pan, heating its contents by magnetic induction. When affixed to a conductive utensil, a high density sugar crystal battery heats a coil that disperses heat throughout the container. Integrated sensors detect the type of food being heated and automatically adjust the cook time and temperature, while users monitor the process on a simple, touch sensitive display. The small device could eliminate the need for conventional stovetops, and the Electrolux jury praised its versatility as a practical appliance for urban and remote areas alike.

I think all three are rather cool, and would be very useful in a modern kitchen. Chefs (aspiring or actual)? Your thoughts?

[B4UTRUST]

Well, I'll discuss this strictly from the perspective of someone who has to work on the crazy fucked up retarded shit ideas that engineers come out with. Things exactly like this. In fact that one for #3? The combination everything and the kitchen sink in one design for your kitchen? Yeah, they had that out ages ago. Guess what. It didn't work then either. Chances of it working correctly today in a long term in home use? I'd give it roughly the same chance.

Sure, it looks nice. Cost wise? Expect to be charged per appliance panel and expect to pay out the ass per panel. Expect it to break often and expect the repairs to take awhile. Also, expect that if it does last out of the warranty period, expect to pay almost as much as a brand new one for the repairs.

The gel-fridge again looks like a great idea and may be at some point, but I really don't think we're there yet. And honestly, I can see way to much from a maintenance standpoint going wrong. Least of all curious little hands on children, pets, loss of temperature regulation, having to have some way to renew the gel when it eventually breaks down, loses some of the gel due to getting pulled off somehow, etc.

The #1 idea doesn't seem like a bad idea and may actually work. But I think they're trying to add too many little nicities to it for the first go around. Touch screens, etc. The more features you add, the more goes wrong. A microwave is a simple thing that rarely goes wrong. A microwave stuffed with dozens and dozens of new little features and buttons and options? It breaks a lot more often. As a tech who has to work on appliances, my recommendation is the KISS principle. Keep It Simple, Stupid.