The top six finalists for the 2014 Electrolux Design Lab competition have been announced recently. The entrants were invited to create a concept that is relevant to the time and raises questions about what design will be like in the future.

The winner of this year’s competition will be selected after all the finalists present their concepts to a jury in Paris on 12 November 2014. The six finalists are:

Air Purification concepts:

UrbanCone

UrbanCone creates healthy microclimates outdoors as it can purify the air around the entire city – as well as in our homes. The device lifts up and flies in the air thanks to ultra light construction and photovoltaic solar panel wings which mimic the movements of a jellyfish.
By: Michał Pośpiech from Poland.

Lotus

Lotus is an air purifier with three portable and rechargeable air cleaning balls. While the main body offers a general purification, the balls can be taken anywhere according to need.
By: Fulden Dehneli from Turkey.

Culinary Enjoyment concepts:

Set to Mimic

Set to Mimic is a set of smart kitchenware that recreates tastes and smells of your food to your preference. By placing a noninvasive transparent gel patch with a microchip on your head, the plate and glass communicates wirelessly with your brain, to make you experience a taste or smell from the past by tapping in to your memory.
By: Sorina Răsteanu from Romania.

Future Hunter-Gatherer

Future Hunter-Gatherer is a virtual grocery shopping experience inspired by nature. It projects a hologram that lets the user play a game to gather food by fishing, hunting or gathering the food from nature. The food the user collects in the game is then transmitted to the local grocery store or market, that in turn gathers the goods and deliver them to the user’s door.
By: Pan Wang from China / UK

Fabric Care concepts:

PETE

The PETE concept merges plastic bottles and creates garments from them according to your taste. The consumer only has to choose the required clothing type, colour and cutting, while the machine gives the amount of PET bottles needed for the fabrication and turns the bottles into polyester and prints the garments.
By: Kovács Apor from Hungary

Pure Towel

PureTowel is a smart towel hanger that instantly cleans your towel after usage, creating a cleaner and healthier bathroom. Using an ultra violet ray and a high speed dryer fan, it purifies and dries the towel in only a matter of seconds. By eliminating 99.9% of the bacteria in a towel and reducing humidity it helps the user to stay healthy and clean.
By: Leobardo Armenta from Mexico

Established in 2003, Electrolux Design Lab is a design competition open to undergraduate and graduate design students from around the world to present innovative ideas for future households.