Electolux Design Lab Winners

Second place went to Pebble, a portable, solar food cooker that uses spray-on solar cells and induction heating for precise, energy-efficient cooking. It was submitted by Laura Pandelle from École Boulle, France.

"This is a fascinating design that's plausible and really useful," comments juror Jason Bradbury, a UK technology presenter. "Solar paint is an interesting use of a really exciting technology."

Third place went to Go Fresh by He Cheng Fei from Jiangnan University, China. Go Fresh is an energy-saving fridge with individual, honeycomb-shaped compartments that preserve each type of food at the right temperature and can be removed to be taken on a picnic.

Adds juror Matali Crasset, an award-winning French designer, "With the food stored at the ideal temperature, people may waste less."

The Design Lab '07 award is a prize of 5,000 Euros and a six-month scholarship at one of the Electrolux Group's global design centers.

The other five finalists are:

• Circompo by Thanat Tengamnuay from King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi, Thailand. Circompo is a composter and garbage bin that decomposes organic waste - especially food - using microorganisms that are kept under ideal conditions of air, moisture and heat to speed the process.

• Fog Shower by João Diego Schimansky from Pontificia Universidade Católica do Paraná, Brazil. Fog Shower is a shower that uses a fog of microscopic water droplets and only two liters of water for a five-minute shower, compared to 26 liters for today's most efficient water-saving showerheads.

• Pure Washer by Tatjana Voronova from Hochschule für Gestaltung Schwäbisch Gmünd, Germany. Pure Washer is a rotating dual kitchen sink and detergent-free compact dishwasher that reduces water consumption and uses degassed water to remove oily dirt from dishes.

• Nature Wind by Bae Won-Ho from Dong-A University, South Korea. Nature Wind is a solar-powered air cleaner mounted to a window that uses a series of filters to refresh and sanitize household air.

Return Pot by Ying-Hao Juan from Cranbrook Academy of Art, U.S.A. Return Pot is a plastic decomposer that turns plastic bags made from polyactic acid (PLA) resin into compost for plants.

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