LEGACY BEYOND ASIA - Modular Design of Small Household Appliances

Modular Design of Small Household Appliances

Industrial

Area

China

Year

2025

Award

GOLD WINNER

Affiliation

Tianjin University of Technology

Designer

Li Boyang

https://youtu.be/O6R8v_0BSM8

English

Small appliances constitute the world's number one source of e-waste. The product aims to alleviate the problem of overproduction of household appliances. Our design uses modular motors that can be easily installed to allow multiple household appliances to share a single motor for different needs, including: hair dryers, juicers, drills, and blenders. The shared motor design solution can save about 400 million motors produced globally every year. In the future we will develop more products with shared motors. Our vision is to rebuild our relationship with our products by fighting against product obsolescence and unnecessary product updates.

Native

小家电构成了世界上第一大电子垃圾来源，比大型电器、电话、笔记本电脑还要多。产品目的是为了缓解家用电器过度生产的问题，同时依然能够带来较好的经济效益。我们的设计采用了模块化电机，可以轻松安装，使多个家用电器共享一个电机，以满足不同的需求，其中包含：吹风机、榨汁机、电钻、搅拌机。共享电机的设计方案每年可以为全球节省约4亿台电机的生产。产品包装及本身材料可100%回收再利用。它可以连接到移动设备，监控使用数据，并指导人们安全和便捷地使用产品，通过数据分析为用户提供合理建议，例如提醒用户何时洗头，何时喝营养果汁等。此外，配套的app还具有“回收报废产品”和“社区交流功能”。整体美学设计是亲切和友好的。未来我们会开发更多通用电机的产品，如：剃须机、电风扇、电动螺丝刀、切割机、吸尘器、电动卡丁车等，批量生产的同时开发相应配套产品，可使得该项目长期有效的生存和发展，将经济增长点由迭代增长转变为开发增长。我们的愿景是通过反对产品过时和不必要的产品更新，重建我们与产品的关系。这个项目是创造一个可修复世界的宣言。

Judging Comments

This design was highly praised for its sustainability-driven innovation in tackling e-waste and overproduction. By introducing a modular shared motor system, it significantly reduces material waste and extends product lifespan. The versatile adaptability across multiple household appliances, from hair dryers to blenders, presents a scalable, eco-conscious alternative to traditional single-purpose devices. This approach not only minimizes environmental impact but also redefines consumer-product relationships through sustainable design.

Positive Comments