Technabob » home appliance

BGH Quick Chef Music Makes the Microwave Beep a Tune of the Past

Lambert Varias — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 16:00:06 +0000

Like many ubiquitous tools and appliances, it’s kind of hard to think of ways to improve the microwave oven. But Brazilian cooking appliance manufacturer BGH has done just that by adding one simple feature: audio playback. Instead of the default beeping sound, the BGH Quick Chef Music plays music when it’s done heating your food.

The Quick Chef Music has a USB port so users can easily swap the music. I don’t have the exact details about this function though, such as the length of the playback or volume control. Below is a commercial for the BGH Quick Chef Music:

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

If you found that last bit funny, there are a couple more here. I think BGH should add an alarm clock feature to the microwave oven as well, so you can wake up to both good music and good food. While they’re at it, adding a coffee pot and a mini-fridge would be a good idea. And a toaster. And the kitchen sink. Innovation is easy.

[via Breno Costa's Vimeo channel via Notcot]

ON/OFF Paint Lets You Make Wall-Sized Switches

Lambert Varias — Sun, 23 Jan 2011 14:04:01 +0000

Is this the death of the light switch? French design firm Quarks has designed a special paint that can be used in conjunction with electronics in order to control appliances. So for example you can turn a lamp on or off just by touching the surface coated with the special paint. Like traditional paint, you can coat a whole wall with the ON/OFF Paint, giving you a huge, easily accessible but nonetheless inconspicuous switch.

The ON/OFF Paint will still work even when it’s painted over or covered by a wallpaper, so you don’t have to get stuck with whatever color it comes in. APCI also reported that the ON/OFF Paint can be used not just to toggle devices on or off, they can also be used in conjunction with a timer or dimmer. The possibilities for this invention are endless, and should prove useful for elderly, disabled and drunk people.

[via Coolest Gadgets]

Electrolux Shine Washing Machine Concepts: More Fashionable Than Your Clothes

Lambert Varias — Wed, 05 May 2010 11:53:25 +0000

Today’s washing machines are anything but stylish. If you ask me they look like burly, angry computers. But if Electrolux has its way, we’ll soon be able to say the words “washing machine” and “sexy” in the same sentence. Without “not” of course. The company showed off its’ SHINE concepts last month in Milan, Italy. There were two designs – one free standing and one wall-mounted. Both were designed to take up as little space as possible and look at home in porcelain-filled environments.

That’s the wall-mounted version right there, which from the looks of it has a maximum load of two boxers and a thong. Or maybe its body is supposed to be tucked inside the wall, in which case its butt will be exposed outside of your house, like an air conditioner. I don’t know.

And there’s the free-standing version, which is a lot more sensible to me. The orange light on the lid of the machines serves as the timer, while according to Electrolux Industrial Design Manager Calum Armstrong “the small display above the door has a smaller selection of programs, depending on the type of garments that need to be washed.” Uh, which small display? But we shouldn’t be so hard on Electrolux – these are just concepts after all, and as far as being sleek and modern goes these designs are successful, if (yet again) impractical.

[via Electrolux Design Lab via dornob]

Dyson Fan Multiplies Air, Costs

Lambert Varias — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 11:30:39 +0000

Unless the blades of your electric fan are quite dirty – mine are, need to clean them – I don’t think you’ll feel that the air coming from the fan is “choppy”. You’ll still feel that steady stream of air right? Dyson disagrees, so it invented a bladeless fan that uses technology found in turbochargers and jet engines to amplify the air that it sucks in. The result is a solid cylinder of breeze in your face. Or wherever the fan is aimed at.

A motor at the bottom of the fan sucks in a tiny bit of air, which is then sent to the inside of the circle up top. The circle’s cross-section is shaped like an airfoil, and that plus a couple of forces that I barely understand but have a lot of respect for makes the air coming out of the edge of the circle get supplemented by the air behind and around the fan.

Clearly “Air x 15″ is a good thing. No word when the fans will be available, but both the 10″ and 12″ models of the fan are already listed at Dyson’s online shop. The 10″ version will sell for $300 (USD), while the 12″ version will sell for $330. Unless these things are energy efficient, I don’t see why people with space to spare would buy an air multiplier over an air conditioner, which doesn’t have fancy jet technology but can cool the air in a whole room. Just saying. But if you’re interested, check out Dyson’s website for more details and videos of the fan.

[via likecool]

Refreshing News: Washing Machine With Nylon Beads Uses 90% Less Water

Lambert Varias — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 11:00:52 +0000

This is undoubtedly one of the most environment-friendly appliances that I have ever seen: using technology developed by professor Stephen Burkinshaw of Leeds University, the Xeros washing machine is so efficient it only needs a cup of water to clean an adult-sized shirt. That translates to 90% less water used compared to ordinary washing machines. The special ingredient: nylon beads. Nylon’s unique property is that it becomes very absorbent under humid conditions. A small amount of water is enough to humidify the interior of the Xeros washing machine, and the nylon beads and detergent will do the rest.

Aside from the significant water savings, the revolutionary cleaning system also uses 30% less energy; the efficiency of the nylon beads also translates to less detergent used. Clothes that are washed in this manner will dry faster because of the small amount of water used in cleaning them. It gets even better: the first Xeros washing machines are set to be on sale next year. They’ll be sold to commercial establishments at first, but hopefully us residential peeps will be able to own one soon after.

Check out Xeros’ website for more details, including a video demonstration.

[via GreenBang via Inventor Spot]