Portable Spot Cleaner wins Electrolux Design Lab 2011

Adrian Mankovecký from the Academy of Fine Arts and Design Bratislava in Slovakia is the winner of the Electrolux Design Lab 2011 competition. His Portable Spot Cleaner surpassed a field of 1,300 entries from over 50 countries.

A jury of award winning architects and designers selected the Electrolux Design Lab winner from eight finalists. The final took place at the Room Home Intelligence Conference London on September 7.

“Developing thoughtfully designed products that are relevant to consumers is fundamental to the Electrolux strategy. Electrolux Design Lab contributes to our dialogue with consumers about future design and product development. This is necessary in today’s global appliance business. Electrolux Design Lab also provides an important opportunity to get inspired by the innovative ideas of design students all over the world,” says Keith McLoughlin, President and CEO of Electrolux.

Portable Spot Cleaner
The Portable Spot Cleaner has two components. The user separates them, place on either side of the garment and choose the suitable cleaning program. Negative Ions and steam refresh clothing and remove stains. The cleaner is powered with a sugar crystal battery, and can be used practically anywhere in the world.

The jury was impressed by the Portable spot cleaner’s creative and insightful thinking. From the jury motivation: ”The Portable spot cleaner is built on a very solid consumer insight and it is highly relevant. It is an instant laundry device that has a positive impact on the environment by reducing consumption. Its usage and interaction are very intuitive. We all want one.”

People’s Choice Award
The award for second place went to Ribbon, an all-in-one hotplate, warming device and cooler for portable use, by Enzo Kocak from Monash University in Australia. Third place went to Smoobo Blender, a fun and environmentally friendly way of making smoothies, by Roseanne de Bruin from Massey University in New Zealand. Onda, a portable microwave oven, by Matthew Schwartz from California State University Long Beach in USA, received the People’s Choice Award—as voted for online.

Intelligent Mobility
The theme in the competition’s ninth year is ‘Intelligent Mobility’. The students were invited to create home appliances ideas for how people prepare food, clean and do dishes both within and beyond the home from this particular perspective. The appliances should not only be physically portable, but also provide flexible control to liberate people from the home. The brief particularly requested ideas that offer personalization and inspire users while utilizing existing technology to offer support and guidance. Additionally, all concepts should reflect Scandinavian Design values – being sensitive to the environment, providing intuitive ease of use and conveying aesthetic appeal.

The jury evaluates the entries based on innovation, intuitive design and consumer insight. This year’s jury members are Danish designer Cecilie Manz, award winning architects Hayes and James Slade, and Henrik Otto, Senior Vice President of Global Design at Electrolux.

The Electrolux Design Lab 2011 award is a prize of EUR 5,000 and a six-month paid internship at an Electrolux global design center. Second prize is EUR 3,000 and third prize EUR 2,000.

About Electrolux Design Lab
Established in 2003, Electrolux Design Lab is an annual global design competition open to undergraduate and graduate industrial design students worldwide. The jury considers entries based on intuitive design, innovation and consumer insight. Participants are invited to present innovative ideas for household appliances of the future.

The competition culminates in an international design workshop every year. Previous themes and venues: The 2nd Space Age, London, 2010; 90 years ahead, London, 2009; Designs for the Internet generation, Zurich, 2008; Green designs, Paris, 2007; Designs for healthy eating, Barcelona, 2006; Designs of the future, Stockholm, 2005; Designs of the future, New York, 2004; User-driven solutions, Budapest, 2003.

For more information and press materials visit www.electrolux.com/designlab. For media inquiries contact designlab@electrolux.se or Electrolux Press Hotline, +46 8 657 65 07.