Flying Mini-Robot Cleaners Win Electrolux Design Lab 2013 Competition

What does the future of the home hold? Flying mini-robot cleaners, expanding walls that filter the air and 3D food printers are just some of the visions in the Electrolux Design Lab competition, held now for the 11th consecutive year. The flying robot concept “Mab” ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=a3j4y6uJQmg ) was awarded first prize in competition finals at the Fotografiska Museum in Stockholm, Sweden.

The winning concept, by Adrian Perez Zapata from Colombia, is an automated cleaning system consisting of hundreds of flying mini-robots. The robots clean surfaces by touching them with a drop of water. Mab scans the house, determine the areas to clean and sends the robots flying.

“I was in my university gardens when I observed the controlled flight of bees pollinating a flower, and how magical it is to see swarms of bees working together,” Perez Zapata said. “My concept Mab only requires a short initial configuration to function autonomously, so you could arrive home and see a swarm of mini-robots roaming around cleaning independently. This means you could sit back and relax, as you observe with great astonishment the little Mab ‘fairies’ working their magic autonomously.”

“This year’s winning concept renews the idea of looking at the robot, seeing it not as one unit that mimics a person, but instead as something inspired by the magical logic of nature’s collaborative efforts and group intelligence,” said Stefano Marzano, Chief Design Officer at Electrolux and Head of Jury.

“The Mab is an innovative concept which could be relevant to minimize the daily cleanings efforts of consumers as well as businesses, while maximizing the results”

The second prize in the competition went to the Atomium 3D food printer, by Luiza Silva from Brazil, for a concept that “addresses the global issue of adopting healthy lifestyles and countering chronic diseases, with inspiration from the playfulness and creativity of children." Third prize went to Jeabyun Yeon from Korea for Breathing Wall. The jury’s motivation was: “The Breathing Wall creates a relevant discussion about a future business model which is not just about making the appliances, but about generating propositions that could bring a poetic quality into the construction industry.”

People’s Choice Award went to Mab after receiving over 40% of the 4 391 public votes on the Design Lab website.

First step towards a design career

The idea of the design competition is to stimulate and activate design students on a global level by inviting them to present breakthrough ideas for future household environments and to function as an innovative arena for the introduction of new talents. First prize is 5,000 euros and a six-month paid internship at an Electrolux global design center. Second prize is 3,000 euros, third prize is 2,000 euros and the People’s Choice Award prize is 1,000 euros.

Theme of the year, Inspired Urban Living

The theme of Design Lab 2013 was Inspired Urban Living. The city of tomorrow is short on space, busy and compact. Living areas are smaller; there is less storage but the home still needs to be the epicentre of entertaining and culinary enjoyment. The competitors were asked to submit concepts for products, accessories, consumables and services that would be seen as a breakthrough within the sector of Social Cooking, Natural Air or Effortless Cleaning.

Over 1 700 submissions from over 60 countries around the world took part in the competition in 2013. The competition was conducted in five stages, allowing the applicants to concentrate on different areas throughout the process; submitting an idea and a sketch, concept development, visual development, functionality development and the final event presentation.

Over 100 best concepts were chosen to take part in the competition to develop their concepts further and to be evaluated by Electrolux professionals from Design, R&D and Marketing Innovation. Each concept could be voted for by the public and the ones that received the most votes received direct access to the next round. The Design Lab 2013 jury, comprising Electrolux Chief Design Officer Stefano Marzano, Design Strategist at Yanko Design Hideshi Hamaguchi, and Editor-in-Chief of LOFT Bookazine Pio Barone Lumaga, selected the winner from eight global finalists.

“Creating new value and propositions is what innovative design is all about and Design Lab is one of the ways through which we at Electrolux can explore new ideas,” said Stefano Marzano, Chief Design Officer at Electrolux. “All design solutions that enhance the lifestyles and living environments of our consumers are relevant for us to explore. This is why in Design Lab 2013 we are presenting not only products but also accessories, consumables and services within three key focus areas for future households; cooking, cleaning and air cleaning.”

Electrolux Design Lab themes throughout the years


2003  – User Driven Solutions
2004  – Designs of the Future
2005  – Designs of the Future
2006  – Designs for Healthy Eating
2007  – Green Designs
2008  – The Internet Generation
2009  – Design for the Next 90 Years
2010  – The 2nd Space Age
2011  – Intelligent Mobility
2012  – Experience Design
2013  – Inspired Urban Living

Allow us to share more of our thinking at www.electrolux.com. For more news and updates visit: www.electrolux.com/electrolux-insiders or find us on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/electroluxmalaysia.

Malaysian entry shortlisted in prestigious Electrolux Design Lab competition

Voting begins for Top 105 Entries in Electrolux Design Lab 2013

Vote for the Malaysian entry (see attached) that has made it into the 105 shortlisted entries out of 1,700 total submissions.
This year’s edition of the prestigious design competition saw over 1,700 submissions from 29 countries pared down to 105 entries in the first round.  Asian design is well-represented this year, with 32 entries from eight Asian countries making the cut.

In a break from previous competition formats, entries in the EDL 2013 will progress through five different stages. Entries that make the cut after the current public voting stage will be evaluated by Electrolux professionals, who will also help further develop the student-made concepts.

These concepts represent the Inspired Urban Living theme, which revolves around the focus areas of Social Cooking, Natural Air and Effortless Cleaning. These encompass designs or technologies that improve urban living, including 3D printing technology, wearable appliance accessories and smart technology in social cooking.

You can take a look at the top 105 concepts, interact with their designers and vote for your favourites at http://electroluxdesignlab.com.

In the meantime, take a look at some of the entries from Asia below:

Kitchen Train (Malaysia)
A modular set of six kitchen appliances that help to create a unified look when put together, the Kitchen Train comprises common appliances such as a microwave, juicer and coffee maker. These appliances can be purchased separately or together, but no matter your decision, you get an aesthetically-pleasing kitchen with appliances designed to look great together.

Cellular Pillow (China)
Made up of aloe cells, the cellular pillow can be used to absorb carbon dioxide, kill bacteria and break down harmful gases while releasing oxygen and anions into the air. The cellular pillow recreates the benefits of living in nature in an urban bedroom.

Expedition (India)
The Expedition is a modular mobile kitchen that is easy to trot out at an outdoor event like picnics or BBQs. Inspired by the trolley bag, the Expedition has modules for different methods of cooking, and is operated by solar power or energy efficient fuel cells. Recipes can be handily stored in one of the modules, which can also be used to make video calls or connect to the Internet.

Air Fit (Korea)
The Air Fit makes a personalised air purifier a reality by analysing the substances you breathe in and giving out air that has been customised to your needs. This includes personalising the moisture content as well as the amount of phytoncides and anions in the air.

My Diet Plate (Singapore)
Smart, dishwasher-safe dinnerware that aids weight loss diets by assisting with nutrition information and portion control. A smart phone app stores guests’ personal health and nutritional needs, and transfers the information to a Diet Plate by simply touching their phones to a central device.

Share Stick (Taiwan)
The Share Stick is a solar-powered sensor that records the growth of plants and alerts you when the fruits and vegetables on them have ripened. It will also start searching for friends who have ripe fruits and vegetables before sending them an invitation to cook together. Through this shared cooking experience, the Share Stick hopes to bring people together in an urban environment.


HUMALEON (Thailand)
A mood sensor with a built-in holographic projector, the HUMALEON can detect your moods and choose the appropriate foods for you to eat. The holographic projector can then project a tutorial by famous chefs to assist you in cooking the perfect meal, helping to ease some stress in your urban life.

The OWL (Indonesia)
An intelligent robot, the OWL can act as a virtual assistant in the home. It can purify the air while children eat, sleep and play, use cameras to facilitate remote monitoring, make phone calls and connect to the Internet.

Allow us to share more of our thinking at www.electrolux.com. For more news and updates visit: www.electrolux.com/electrolux-insiders or find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ElectroluxMalaysia and twitter at www.twitter.com/ElectroluxMY.

Electrolux Celebrates 100 Years of Vacuum Heritage with Social Media Campaign designed to give away 100 Ergorapido Vacuum Cleaners in Malaysia

Recently, Electrolux revealed that this year marks a ‘100 years of Vacuum Heritage’, which started with the invention of its Lux 1 vacuum cleaner. This momentous occasion also marked the beginning of the today hugely popular Electrolux brand. During the last century Electrolux has produced some of the world’s most popular and innovative vacuum cleaners including the Ergorapido, the Trilobite and the UltraOne and to date, more than 350 million Electrolux vacuum cleaners have been purchased by households all over the world.

To celebrate this enormous milestone and its centenary with Malaysians, Electrolux Home Appliances Malaysia will be giving away a 100 units of the Ergorapido vacuum cleaners, in the 26 participating outlets across the country, between September 12 and October 14, 2012 or until stocks last. Ergorapido’s retail price in Malaysia is RM499.

“The concept is simple”, said Koh Soh Hoie, General Manager of Malaysia and Singapore. “We will post clues on our Facebook page (direct link - http://bit.ly/100vacs) and the correct answers to these clues will point our fans to the participating outlets, where they will be able to collect their Ergorapido vacuum cleaners. Each outlet will have a limited number of stocks that will be given away on the ‘first come - first served’ basis.”

The Ergorapido 2-in-1 was the first in the new global category of beautifully designed stick cleaners that not only offers the convenience of instant cleaning and a handheld vacuum-all in one but was a pretty ornament to be displayed at any stylish home, as well.

“This social media campaign is the first of many to come and I would like to take this opportunity to invite all the fans of the Electrolux brand to join us on our newly launched Facebook page where we are looking to share ideas, inspire modern living and launch an exciting line-up of promotions and activities throughout the next 12 months”, he concluded.

For detailed information on how to participate in the “ A 100 Years of Vacuum Heritage” campaign by Electrolux and win one of the most stylish, cordless vacuum cleaners in the market, please visit www.facebook.com/ElectroluxMalaysia.

LUX 1, pioneering through consumer insight
The success of Electrolux is built on strong core values such as consumer insight, design, performance and innovation. All of these came together in 1912 when the Electrolux founder and a Swedish sales genius who invented the home sales model, Axel Wenner-Gren, launched his first vacuum cleaner – the LUX 1. The company Electrolux was founded in Stockholm, Sweden, seven years later in 1919. Wenner-Gren had been inspired by the larger, heavy models available at the time, and wanting to improve the quality of life of modern families, made them smaller, affordable and more efficient so each home could afford and easily operate a vacuum cleaner.

Wenner-Gren’s ground-breaking introduction of home sales was a genius approach, as it allowed the sales representatives to showcase the new product, while meeting the buyer in person, thus gaining valuable insights in how consumers actually used the products. Until today the consumer insight is the key ingredient in the process of improving all Electrolux products and in the creation of the new innovations.

Today, Electrolux is at the forefront of green thinking, energy saving and environmentally friendly product development with products such as the UltraOne Green vacuum cleaner, which uses 50% less energy compared to standard vacuum cleaners and is made of 70% recycled materials.

For more news and updates on promotions, please visit: www.electrolux.com/electrolux-insiders or find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ElectroluxMalaysia