www.thedesignermagazine.com 21
a lot less water as a result. “When you
go with the first water spray, you can see
how dirty the water is and according to
that, the machine is able to understand
how much powder it needs. You just have
to press a button.”
Ever greener performance but still
making life easy for the user is “the most
challenging story,” he adds.
And Baumatic’s Balestrazzi warns
that all this cleverness must be achieved
without bamboozling the customer. “Ease
of use will also be at the forefront of
innovation. We’re seeing more and more
energy-efficient products are the current Whirlpool’s Green Kitchen can save intelligent appliances coming through,
focus, whether this means improving the 70 per cent of the energy when compared whereby the clever innovation takes
energy rating of a product or allowing to current technologies, says Finetto. This place behind the scenes and, at user level,
a larger load to be processed using the amounts, he says, “to 400 euros, that you things are very much plug and play, with
same energy.” have in your pocket, at the end of the ease of use paramount.
Yet when considering stand-alone year. This starts to be an interesting story “We are realising that people do not
products, there are limits to efficiency for the customer.” want appliances that are so high-tech
defined by fundamental physics. Finetto But to fully realise the efficiency they require a master’s degree to operate
believes the furthest advances can only savings at a price the consumer can them. People want to be able to relax in
be gained through designing products afford, new designs for improved sensors the kitchen, not have to read 45 manuals
that operate in tandem. “On top of and control mechanisms are urgently before they can roast a joint.”
having good products that save the right needed, explains Finetto. “The best way
level of energy, we can go to a sort of to save energy is to not use appliances, Driving Creativity
system. So connect all these products but I don’t think anybody wants to Yet it’s a difficult balance to make.
together and exchange resources. So the go in that direction. So to have better Consumers come in all shapes and sizes,
water used by the sink is reused by the performance you need more sensors, you controls must be both simple enough for
dishwasher, and it’s warmed by the fridge. need much more sophisticated products.” techno-phobes and complex enough for
The system is much more efficient than a For example, he says, a dishwasher compulsive fiddlers.
single product,” he explains. might sense the number of plates and use “The complete mix of changing ➔
Kitchen Tech p.indd 21 22/7/08 09:53:21
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