The votes have been tallied in the Electrolux Design Lab 2011 and coming out on top in a field of over 1,300 entries received from over 50 countries is Slovakian design student Adrian Mankovecký for his Portable Spot Cleaner. Comprising two components that are separated and placed on either side of a garment, the pint-sized washing machine would be powered by a sugar crystal battery and use negative ions and steam to clean stains. Mankovecký will receive a prize of 5,000 euro (approx. US$7,025) and a six-month paid internship at an Electrolux global design center.
"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," stated the jury in a statement. This year, the jury members were Danish designer Cecilie Manz, architects Hayes and James Slade, and Henrik Otto, Senior Vice President of Global Design at Electrolux.
Second place in the Awards (which this year carried the theme of "Intelligent Mobility") went to Enzo Kocak, a student at Australia's Monash University, for Ribbon, a portable combination heater and cooler that features a flexible ribbon form factor that allows it to be wrapped around food or drink containers. Kocak will receive 3,000 euro (approx. US$4,173).
Roseanne de Bruin from New Zealand's Massey University took out third place for her Smoobo Blender, which lets users quench their thirst with a smoothie mixed up inside a rubber ball with exterior nodules that make it bounce erratically, while rotor blades inside powered by kinetic batteries mix the smoothie to a nice consistency. De Bruin receives 2,000 euro (approx. US$2,782).
Matthew Schwartz from California State University Long Beach received the People's Choice Award for his Onda portable microwave oven that pairs with pre-prepared meals to complete a circuit and cook the food inside the pack.
Congratulations to all the winners of the Electrolux Design Lab 2011, and If you want an idea of what they were up against, check out our previous look at some of the 25 semi-finalists and the eight entries competing for the People's Choice Award.
