Tag Archives: Umeå Institute of Design

This modular induction cooker was designed to be compact and versatile for low-income households

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The name Jodana comes from the Hindi word meaning ‘to join’. It references not just the modular nature of the cooker, but also its user base, the lower-mid-income residents of Mumbai who gather from all over the country to make a living in India’s ‘City of Dreams’. The Jodana represents the literal melting pot that is Mumbai, and offers a unique way to combine cooktops as well as cultures and cooking techniques.

The modular cooktop features the induction cooker itself, as well as a control panel that attaches magnetically, quite similar to how the ROLI Blocks attach to one another to create an electronic musical interface. There are two cooktop styles to choose from, a flat-panel one that serves the role of a traditional induction cooker, as well as a curved surface that’s designed to work with the Kadhai, or the Indian equivalent of a wok. The kadhai plays an integral role in Indian cooking, and is used for all sorts of stir-fries, stews, curries, as well as for frying.

Designers: Yash Saboo, Niklas Muhs, Luisa Ebeling and Indalecio Gaytan (Umeå Institute of Design) in collaboration with Electrolux

The Jodana can be built to fit different types of countertops, judging by the sizes of kitchens in households. A single control panel can be used to adjust temperatures on multiple cooktops, offering efficiency and versatility in a smaller footprint. Each cooking surface comes with lights around its rim that indicate the temperature of the cooktop and whether it’s active or not. The lights also work with a countdown timer feature built into the Jodana, allowing you to automatically switch it off after a specific time.

The Jodana’s slim and compact design make it a boon for smaller households. It runs entirely on electricity, eliminating the need for a gas connection or a place to store a large bulky gas cylinder, and you can easily travel with the cooktop or move it around from room to room, facilitating the nomadic lifestyle of Mumbai’s lower-middle class.

The Jodana was created by the students of the Umeå Institute of Design in collaboration with Electrolux.

The post This modular induction cooker was designed to be compact and versatile for low-income households first appeared on Yanko Design.

This thermal imaging drone could help firefighters quickly locate the source of fire in a building

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I’m of the firm belief that robots should be assigned duties that are too difficult or dangerous for humans. Take for instance the Prophet by Marius Kindler, an autonomous drone that’s designed to monitor and assess structures/areas on fire so that blue light departments (firefighters, police & paramedics) can effectively carry out their protective and preventive measures. The drone comes fitted with a FLIR camera that captures a heat-map, helping rescue missions detect sources of fire or even helping them plot the position of humans who need to be rescued.

The tricopter drone’s design can be split into three elements – the propellers, a hockey-puck-shaped FLIR thermography camera at the bottom, and a removable/replaceable battery pack on the top. On-site, the drone can be programmed to run pre-determined routes and will constantly patrol a specific area, analyzing the structural fire to give the rescue team a clear idea of the fire’s source, the building’s layout, and possibly even identify potential safe routes for ingress and evacuation.

“Equipped with FLIR‘s thermal imaging technology it monitors heat exposure and the fire‘s behaviour over time”, says designer Marius Kindler. “Based on the gathered data it can identify anomalies and even predicts how the situation could develop in the near future. The system also makes it possible to link several drones together to a network, enabling all first responders to share their information, responsibilities and their equipment in a collaborative way during emergency incidents.”

The Prophet Drone was the result of a 10-week term project at Umeå Institute of Design in collaboration with FLIR Systems. Although conceptual, it definitely makes a case for how drones can be designed to help protect people and contain major disasters. The technology isn’t too far off, to begin with. Thermography cameras already exist, and autonomous drones are definitely a thing… so it shouldn’t be too farfetched to assume that human-assisting drones could soon be a part of every urban neighbourhood’s firefighting arsenal.

Designer: Marius Kindler

This sustainable flying craft helps restore lost biodiversity in our dystopian, eroded future!

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The rapid climate change and  – to a point where researchers believe has no point of return is rather ominous for the future. Just imagine what would it be like decades into this century – all the water sources would deplete, turning the currently habitable lands into an oasis of sands. This threatens the survival of our species, as well as countless other animal species that already have a bleak future due to human-induced climate change. David Wolter from Umeå Institute of Design peeks into the future, in the year 2090 when human settlements will constrict to the last inhabitable pastures on planet earth. The concept artist imagines the exponential spread of deserted lands around the equator, and how humans will make their last-ditch effort to restore the planet.

His concept centers around Terra Nova, a lighter than air propelled solution for hauling people and cargo in the barren lands without impacting the environment. When we’ll be pushed to the extreme, the role of biodiverse restoration efforts will be more or less dependent on mobility. This will play a pivotal role in slowing down desertification, initiating large-scale reforestation with the help of high-end technologies. The air propelled rig has soft organic shapes and a bold sharp design is, and is powered-assisted by the sun’s energy and is made from biodegradable materials to keep the environmental impact down to the minimum. It carries cargo and people from one station to the other – with docking capability onto the drone docking station having the autonomous capability to carry out replantation, water management, and organic pesticide control. It has operational capacity for four days, after which the Terra Nova drones, bring in the needed supplies for revitalizing the desertified landscape.

The crux of this project is to build a transportation system that has minimal or no impact on the environment – as already so much damage would have been done. After all, we are talking about a time in the future, less than seven decades from now. Terra Nova multi-functional vehicle is going to be one of the many efforts humanity needs to take up to somehow save the planet from doom.

Designer: David Wolter from Umeå Institute of Design

These LEGO-like modular bricks help kids learn about energy and technology as they play

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If you think about it, there’s a pretty visible gap between physical toys and digital toys. By physical toys, I mean games like blocks, LEGO, stuffed animals, puzzles, etc… and by digital toys, I obviously mean apps. Physical toys aim at teaching kids practical skills and motor abilities, as do digital toys, but not many toys teach children about how the physical world and digital world are connected. A toddler doesn’t know that their RC car or talking teddy bear or even the iPad they play games on, is powered by a battery. That batteries store energy that can be converted. Or that all the tech around them is just the journey of energy, from electrical to chemical, to light, sound, and data. Sure, those are complex things for a toddler to understand, but the Joul aims at helping kids be more cognizant of how the world around them works… and it does it by bridging the physical and technological toy gap.

Joul, named cleverly after the unit of energy, is a set of modular, magnetic blocks that help kids understand how energy powers their world. Comprising three types of blocks – generators, batteries, and output blocks, Joul allows kids to experiment with forms of energy and learn how it can be harnessed from different sources, stored, and used. The generator blocks help transfer mechanical, wind, and solar energy into electrical energy that gets stored in the battery blocks. The battery blocks then connect to output modules like a light or a speaker, while an optional switch module allows you to literally create a basic circuit, helping kids grasp how energy flows, and how it constantly needs to be generated because it isn’t infinite. An optional iPad app helps kids comprehend this concept further, gaining a fundamental understanding of the world of energy, and how it powers the world we live in!

The Joul is a winner of the iF Design Talent Award for the year 2020

Designers: Anna Hing, Fabian Böttcher, Soh Heum Hwang

Electrolux’s WFH coffee-machine lets you take short coffee-breaks with your colleagues remotely!

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Designed as a collaborative effort between Electrolux and the students at Umeå Institute of Design to think about post-Covid-19 home solutions, the Fika from Afar helps capture the nuances of work-life and work-leisure while at home. In Swedish, ‘Fika’ is a term for coffee or tea break (usually enjoyed with a cake or bun and in the company of others). Fika from Afar carries that concept and brings it into homes, allowing you to take a well-deserved break from work with your friends.

Working from home surely has its benefits, but it’s eroded the office’s social construct by creating an environment which only revolves around discussing work issues with your colleagues. Unlike offices, which have coffee machines or water coolers where people congregate to say hello, share a story while grabbing a refreshment, and renew their energy before they go to work, the home doesn’t have that social interaction. Fika from Afar, however, brings that interaction into homes, with a smart coffee-maker that connects you with colleagues through a smartphone app while you brew your coffee. Power on the Fika from Afar and it connects you and multiple colleagues through an app that lets you collectively take a break while you sip coffee. Friends can either share a cup of coffee with you, or some gossip, or even their own coffee recommendations, giving you a nice 5-10 minute break from the mundane routine of working from home. Besides, the coffee-machine even sports a side-platform to wirelessly charge your phone while you work!

Designers: Sydney Eilbacher, Jovan Vulic, Nathanael Boell (Umeå Institute of Design) in collaboration with Electrolux

This WFH desktop air-purifier also has a fold-out partition that you can stick Post-its on

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Poised to be the most ideal WFH appliance, the VIKA concept combines air filtration with office organization! Created as a collaborative effort between Electrolux and the students at Umeå Institute of Design to think about post-Covid-19 home solutions, VIKA turns your regular desk into a cozy, functional, and safe work-from-home spot.

The VIKA is first and foremost an air-purifier. Designed to silently sit at the corner of your desk, VIKA actively filters the air you breathe, making sure you’re always surrounded by the freshest air that’s devoid of any dust, allergens, VOCs, gases, and other contaminants thanks to the built-in filtration system from Electrolux. Wrapped around the side of the VIKA, however, is a soft felt cover that opens up to turn into a partition, letting you segregate and separate your working zone. The partition, aside from acting as a dividing surface, also doubles up as a great place to stick Post-its, allowing to make the most of your workspace! When all’s said and done, the partition folds back inwards to occupy less space (and to even conceal your Post-it notes from others!)

Designer: Mathilda Karlsson, Marian Dembkiewicz and Arvind Sushil (Umeå Institute of Design) in collaboration with Electrolux

Electrolux + UID design students create a hallway shelf that sanitizes your phone and hands

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Created as a collaborative effort between Electrolux and the students at Umeå Institute of Design to think about post-Covid-19 home solutions, the Muhō is the ultimate hallway sanitization-station, working to disinfect your hands as well as devices. Located at the very entrance of your house, the Muhō allows you to instantly kill any potential germs that may piggy-back into your house by getting on your hands or your devices. The sanitization-station comes with 3 UV-C light-enabled shelves to place items like your keys, phone, wallet, or sunglasses on. A contact-sensor activates the UV-C light mere seconds after you place your object on it, allowing it to kill any bacteria or viruses by breaking down their DNA. The lowest shelf also has a hands-free sanitizer dispenser built in, allowing you to quickly spritz your hands with sanitizer before you enter the house.

The Muhō envisions a new type of furniture for homes that goes above and beyond to keep your life organized, but keep you safe too. The combination of UV light and hand-sanitizer effectively cover most bases, making sure germs don’t thrive on you or items you frequently touch. To add an extra flair of functionality, the Muhō even comes with a smart-mirror that, apart from showing you how dapper you look, gives you timely updates like time temperature and weather updates… so you know whether you need to carry sunscreen or an umbrella on your way out!

Designers: Stijn van Cuijk, Jakob Kohnle and Laurenz Simonis (Umeå Institute of Design) in collaboration with Electrolux

Are your fruits and vegetables truly germ-free? This tabletop food-sanitizer ensures they will be…

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I don’t mean to sound alarmist, but this global pandemic has surely raised questions about personal safety and how we could keep ourselves from coming in contact with potential germs and infections. The Elepsy helps address concerns for people who are worried their food could be potentially contaminated. While fresh produce like meat and eggs get cooked before consumption (ensuring that any microorganisms like bacteria and viruses are instantly killed off in the high heat), fruits and vegetables don’t share that advantage. The Elepsy ensures that your fruits and veggies are safe for consumption by thoroughly cleaning them beforehand.

Designed to be a safe sanitization-station for your fruits and vegetables, the Elepsy uses a dual-stage process to make sure your food is immaculately clean before you consume it. The product can be broadly separated into three parts – A carafe that lets you measure the water needed to clean your fruits/vegetables, a sanitization-unit that carefully cleans your food, and an outer tray which you can use to place your food after it’s been cleaned. The design intuitively guides the user through the process while the overall aesthetic helps convey the message of cleanliness, minimalism, and simplicity.

Step one involves lifting the transparent carafe off the base and filling it up with water. Once the carafe is filled, place your food into the Elepsy’s sanitation-tub and pour the water from the carafe in. A single knob/button on the product’s body lets you turn to choose a cycle and press to confirm. Once confirmed, the Elepsy begins its dual-stage cleaning process by first scrubbing dirt off your food using ultrasonic vibrations passed through water, and then sanitizing it by electrolyzing the water to instantly kill any germs in a non-toxic way without using any chemicals. As soon as the cycle is over, a satisfying bell-sound lets you know your fruits and veggies are clean, and that you can take them out and arrange them on the external tray for quickly drying off before you consume directly, use for prep/garnish, or fix yourself a nice, healthy salad!

The Elepsy vegetable + fruit sanitizer is a concept that was created as a collaborative project between the students of Umeå Institute of Design and Electrolux to think about post-Covid-19 home solutions.

Designers: Sinan Altun, Yilin Lyu and Yuchen Lan (Umeå Institute of Design) in collaboration with Electrolux

The Humla Forestry Drone is a forest planner’s best friend

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Forest planning is quite literally, from especially the scale of the task, a very difficult job. A handful of planners are required to cover massive lengths of ground, capturing the health of the forest, noting down aspects of its biodiversity, and basically capturing the forest on paper, so its protection can be done with utmost efficiency. It’s a tough, thankless job that requires months of work, and a human is expected to cover massive ground… but what if technology could do that?

The Humla Forestry Drone was built for this task. Small enough to be carried around on your person, the Humla sits strapped to your chest, and can be detached and deployed from anywhere. Three hubless propellers allow the Humla to fly around unencumbered, preventing them from getting stuck in branches, or worse, harming animals, and three strategically placed cameras can capture events from every single angle. Designed to aid forest planners with documenting every aspect of the forest, the Humla helps in completing menial tasks, like marking borders and protected areas. I suppose it could extend its use further and also be used as a forest patrol drone, to help rangers take care of their forests! When not in use, the Humla docks on a chest-mounted power-pack which charges it.

The Humla Forestry Drone is a winner of the iF Design Talent Award for the year 2018.

Designers: Anders Sandström & Engin Güzel (Umeå Institute of Design)