Competition to find household product of the future down to final eight

(Electrolux design lab competion 2010)

Designs for the household product of the future are narrowed down to eight finalists, including a self-cleaning closet, in Electrolux's 2010 competition.

Household electronics company Electrolux announced the eight finalists of its Design Lab Competition.

The Electrolux design lab competition 2010 focused on predictions that by 2050 74 percent of the world's population would live in urban spaces, therefore entrants had to design household appliances that could be used in smaller domestic spaces. The competition was open to undergraduate and graduate industrial design students from around the world and attracted 1,300 entries which were then narrowed down to 25 semi-finalists and 8 finalists.

It is hoped these designs will present examples of future household products developed to reduce energy consumption and provide alternative means of living in an increasingly urban environment.

Amongst the final eight innovative designs is the Clean Closet by Swedish designer Michael Edenius: the concept of the closet is that it scans the clothes placed in it and cleans the ones it deems to be dirty. Several space-saving designs are also included in the final eight, such as the Dismount Washer by Lichen Guo from China. Guo's dismount washer can be removed and replaced from a wall mounted motor on the apartment wall.

The Seoul international design competition from September 17 to October 7 also encourages international designers to submit household design concepts that can bring safety and convenience to increasingly crowded and eco-conscious societies.

The eight finalists will present their designs to a jury in London, England on September 23.

The designs can be viewed at www.electrolux.com/design lab.