Designer : Litl

Designer : Stefano Marchetto and Cristiano Giuggioli

Interview with Nico :

What was the inspiration for your concept?
The inspiration was the experimental approach to molecular cooking. Even after several decades of molecular cuisine, it still seems to be an exclusive game for specialists. So it became my main goal to bring some of the fantastic possibilities and ideas of molecular cooking to all ambitious cooks with an easy to use, affordable appliance.

How does your concept fit into this year’s competition theme “Designs for the next 90 years”?
I think the idea of molecular cooking is forward-looking, but the procedures and methods of preparing molecular dishes are still conventional. I would like to change this with my concept. At first, the idea of printing food seems to be something straight out of a science-fiction movie, but on second thought it is not unrealistic at all. I even think that Moléculaire could be the future kitchen tool that opens up possibilities for food-makers interested in molecular cooking.

What are the main consumer benefits of your concept?
Moléculaire is a futuristic kitchen appliance that offers several new possibilities to professional chefs as well as home users. It’s based on a layer-by-layer printing technique that arranges small particles from a set of ingredients. Within minutes, it prints out three-dimensional desserts, complex structures, shapes for molecular dishes, and patterns for decorating a meal. In addition, it’s easy to use. You simply insert a blister pack into the reservoir, place Moléculaire on top of a plate, and press the start button. Users can also create their own recipes with special software and their own ingredients. Ambitious users can download recipes and share them with other users in an online community.

Describe the consumer research behind your concept.
I conducted interviews with chefs and did a lot of research on the Internet. These approaches helped me to understand users’ interests, concerns, wishes, needs and desires. The outcome shaped my initial ideas and helped them grow. The most difficult thing about designing for the future is predicting the possible social and technological developments (their direction and speed). Therefore, it was very useful to read reports like sociological studies about cooking and future scenarios about the development of new technologies.

What kind of materials would you use to build your concept?
For my concept, I would use polycarbonate as the main material. I plan on applying this material in three different variations, each providing the right characteristics for the different parts of my design. Transparent polycarbonate can be used for the window, black tinted for the lid/display, and white for the body. The robotic printer arm and head could be made from aluminum. A blue (O)LED backlight accentuates the processes inside the printer.

Who is your favorite designer?
I don‘t have a favorite designer.

What are your career goals?
After I graduate in 2010, I want to gain more professional experience in a product-design company. In the long term, I want to further develop my conceptual and strategic skills and step into product-related design management.

Designer : Nico Kläber

Designer : Studioq

Designer : Wendy Lui via [Retrevo]

Barton explanations :
Firstly is the idea that people can have only what they need, when they need it. This is due to the distinct separation of a computer’s functions into six categories called ‘experiences’. Currently, if a user wishes to purchase a computer purely for documenting and internet they must accept that it will come with processing power and features well beyond these needs. With the Stream concept, however, users would purchase only the Connections and Documents modules as well as the Core Component to perform only these functions. The Connections module also acts as a phone, which leads to the second benefit of this system.

Many users today are faced with both an overlap of functions, content and components. In the previous example, the user’s computer would be capable of making calls through VOIP (a technology most likely to overtake traditional GSM networks), however there is no way of taking this one component of the machine with them. Instead, they must purchase another product – a phone – to fulfill this need. But now they have two devices capable of making calls, browsing the internet, emailing and taking photos as well as two interfaces to learn. Another example is how users have music on both their computer and a portable device such as an iPod. Multiply this over the abundance of consumer products we possess, and the problem worsens exponentially. However because of the Experience Modules and the adaptive nature of Stream, this issue is eradicated. The device they use at home or the office is the same device they use in the car or on the bus. All that changes is the screen size and possibly the addition of Component Modules.

The Component Modules are just as important to the system as the Experience Modules. Users who require greater processing power for activities such as gaming or high end design, still purchase the Core Component but also the necessary Component Modules to meet their needs. The Experience Modules are designed relative to their function. For example the Games and Connections modules have far more complex logic boards, capable of wireless connections to more powerful processors. This ensures that the price of the system is fair across all desired functions or experiences.

The Stream system is more portable and expandable than current systems, it offers a more natural and personal experience for the user and is more environmentally friendly in doing so. It can be an ultra-portable laptop, camera-phone, or games console. It is what the user wants it to be.

Designer : Barton Smith

Attila says :
Actually the Stratosphere is nothing more than the rethinking of the well-known valet. I have transposed it from the old days to the ambience of the Internet generation.

The Stratosphere answers a question well-known to all of us: namely our clothes we still want to wear for another day and don’t want to put in the laundry box we usually keep lying around the apartment, or most often, on the back of the chair.

It solves the problem by airing and refreshing them. It simply sucks in from the fabrics spread over the support imitating the back of the chair those micro-pollutant which carry chemicals responsible for unpleasant odors. Then channeling the air through the HEPA filter (where the dust particles get caught) and a UV-C light chamber (where odorous elements and viruses and bacteria get killed) it finally lets the air back to the natural circulation of the apartment. So it not only deodorizes clothes but gives protection against 99.9 percent of all respiratory diseases.

It’s not only a coincidence that the name refers to the layer of the Earth’s atmosphere where the UV-C radiation of the Sun (since there is no protective ozone) kills bacteria. Likewise the form intentionally resembles vegetal motives. Moreover with a household appliance which has been conceived for a new function and because of the naturalness of its use must be present permanently and actively in living space, just like a standard lamp or a vase, aesthetic functions can’t be neglected either

(Click the image for bigger view)

Designer : Attila Sáfrány

mPower consists of 2 units: Generation and Collection.

mPower Generation is a plant-shaped human-powered unit that produces electricity for immediate and future use. Users access their account using fingerprint recognition, stand on two pads at the base of the unit, and shift their weight from one pad to the other every ten seconds. The system, developed to take up the least amount of a user’s time and effort, can be adapted for the handicapped. A small portion of the electricity generated is used to power the interactive touch-screen at the top of the unit, which offers a broad range of informational services pre-customised by each user. The remaining majority of the electricity generated is sent to the city’s main power plant, to be used or stored. At their convenience, users receive payment for the electricity they generated by accessing their account at mPower Collection.

mPower Collection is a unit that, using the same fingerprint recognition technology, distributes payment and allows for account customisation to users of mPower Generation.

mPower taps into our greatest natural resource: people. Rather than expending energy to create more, mPower harnesses the excess energy we generate by providing a platform for individuals and companies to create electricity, make money, and improve lives. By offering payment to individuals, including those that are homeless, in exchange for a few minutes of minimal movement via a free-to-use system available to everyone, economic and environmental sustainability and empowerment is made available by involving citizens in generating what has become one of our most essential needs: electricity.

mPower units are established by electric companies. Businesses pay electric companies to advertise on mPower Generation touch-screens; these ads are geared to individuals who previously expressed interest in particular products/services as per information entered upon account set-up, thus negating . This negates the need for expensive market research, PR and advertising campaigns. Electric companies pay consumers for generating electricity via mPower; these payments are competitive with fees paid by consumers for power provided by the same electric companies.

The base of the unit consists of two pads, each mounted on a hydraulic cylinder. The cylinders are connected by a micro-hydro turbine. When a person steps onto one of the pads, the resulting pressure forces fluid from one cylinder into the other, causing it to rise. The more a person repeats the movement of shifting his/her weight from one pad to the other, the more electricity is generated. This system can be replaced with piezoelectric pads or other technologies as appropriate.

In addition to the exercise users get while generating electricity, they can also benefit from services available on Generation’s interactive network, including news, community events, traffic information, public transportation information, calendar, time, date, music, weather, radio, product and service information, mobile device charging, internet, widgets, city maps, games, phone calling services.

mPower fits into our daily activities and ways of life without disrupting them. Generation and Collection units can be placed on, in, or near streets and pavements, public transportation waiting areas, airports and other areas where waiting is involved, parks and community areas, schools and universities, libraries, common areas in apartment blocks, and countless other places.

The concept of mPower can be modified to fit into homes, casinos, gyms, phone booths, internet cafes, and wherever generated energy can be used as direct power or in exchange for services and products such as climate control, public lighting, charging mobile phones and other devices. Other generation methods can also be implemented, such as walking, pedaling and running, see-sawing, swinging, and using body weight/heat. The possibilities are endless, sustainable, and empowering.

Designer : Sofian Tallal

Designer : STC via TreeHugger

Text from Andrew :
Opus is a portable multi-track recording device for musicians that allows the user to intuitively compose, record and produce music material. File sharing features allow musicians to interact with other musicians around the world in a virtual live setting and promote recorded material via an online community.

Designer : Andrew Michael Au