This was the second year that home appliances were featured along with consumer electronics at the IFA show in Berlin, which was held in September. And, for the first time, small appliances were also added to the mix. Appliance exhibitors included companies such as Bosch, Siemens, Miele, Electrolux, De’ Longhi, Liebherr, Jura, Gorenje, Russell Hobbs, and LG Electronics. They were pleased with the results.

“The fantastic debut by the home appliance industry at IFA last year set the standards very high for this year’s event,” said Klaus Wührl, chairman of the board of management, Electrolux. “Our expectations were very high regarding the response that we hoped to attract from visitors and the media, and also in terms of orders. In every respect we were again delighted with IFA. We are very satisfied with the results, not only with the significant double-digit rise in attendance, in particular on the part of inter-national visitors, but also with the quality of the discussions. The mood was very positive right from the start, and this was reflected in financial terms. The volume of orders far exceeded our expectations. I am convinced that the industry has found a new leading international trade fair here. The concept whereby consumer electronics brands are brought together with those of the home appliance industry has proved effective and makes sense in particular because of the substantial customer overlap between these two sectors.”

Volker Klodwig, general manager, Robert Bosch Hausgeräte GmbH, had a similar view. “For six days on our stand the volume of orders was several percentage points above last year’s level…The rate at which the volume of orders has grown, and the increased numbers of visitors from Germany and abroad confirm that IFA is a world class event.”

That positive outlook was shared by makers of small appliances, as well. “It is obvious to me that, within one year, Home Appliances @ IFA has become established as a leading event and an order-writing fair for the home appliance sector,” said Rolf Diehl, General Manager of JURA Elektrogeräte Vertriebs-GmbH. “Home Appliances @ IFA provided us with the ideal platform for presenting our four product innovations. Due to increased customer frequency, which is higher than last year, together with a noticeable upsurge in orders from dealers, we are facing the coming months with confidence. This year’s Home Appliances @ IFA was so successful for us that we have already decided to take part again in 2010.”

Erich Geisser, general manager Dyson Germany, said, “Dyson’s first appearance at IFA was a complete success. All our expectations were even exceeded by a long way. We are delighted with the optimism and the exceptional enthusiasm that our brand and our innovations have met with from our trading partners and consumers at this fair.”

The exhibition as a whole was also deemed a big success, as evidenced by the numbers. According to show organizers, total attendance was 228,600, up 8 percent from last year. The portion of that comprised by trade visitors was 119,000, up 14 percent. More importantly, more than 3 billion euros worth of orders were generated at this year’s IFA, surpassing the record set in 2008.

A total of 1,164 exhibitors occupied 121,000 square meters of display space in the halls. In addition to appliances, the show featured a wide range of consumer electronics, including giant flat screen HD televisions, tiny mobile phones with built-in TV receivers, mobile video players, high performance notebook computers, navigation systems, smart-phones, complete home cinema systems, and wireless home networking systems.

IFA 2010 will be held September 3-8. For more information, visit: www.ifa-berlin.com.

Coolerado M30

HIGH-EFFICIENCY AC
Coolerado Corp., Denver, Colo., a manufacturer of high-efficiency, clean-tech air-conditioners, has developed a central air-conditioner sized for homes smaller than 1,500 square feet. The system, called the M30, consumes less than 450 watts of power, using a thermodynamic cycle called the Maisotsenko Cycle, which uses clean energy, or psychrometric energy, found in the atmosphere. This allows the air-conditioner to achieve its cooling power by evaporating water without adding humidity to the conditioned air.

CONCERTED ENERGY SAVING
As awareness increases about climate change, stringent emission controls, dwindling energy resources, and a rising demand for energy, it is more important than ever that electrical energy is consumed efficiently. Supporting this approach, together with 17 European partner companies, Infineon Technologies, Neubiberg, Germany, has formed the technology cooperation SmartPM (Smart Power Management in Home and Health) to bring electrical waste to a minimum in home appliances, power supplies, and healthcare and medical equipment. Under the project coordination of Infineon, the companies are collaborating to significantly increase energy efficiency savings in appliances by up to 25 percent, without compromise to performance while potentially reducing overall CO2 emission by 540 grams with every kilowatt-hour of electrical energy saved. The European SmartPM technology cooperation includes companies and academic institutions from Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, and Sweden.

PILOT PROGRAM SUCCEEDS
IBM, Fayetteville, N.C., and Consert, Raleigh, N.C., designer of intelligent energy distribution and management networks, have announced the completion of smart grid pilot project installations. The companies have nearly 100 commercial and residential participants partnering with the Fayetteville Public Works Commission (FPWC) in Fayetteville, N.C. The pilot has helped local businesses and residents actively participate in the monitoring and control of their energy usage with savings of up to 40 percent. Utilizing software by IBM and Consert, participants can set their daily use profiles, check their energy consumption from an Internet connection, select a monthly target bill amount, and authorize FPWC to cycle their appliances off for brief periods during peak energy consumption events.

ENERGY STAR TVS
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Washington, D.C., has revised the qualifications for televisions to achieve the Energy Star label, requiring TVs to be 40 percent more energy efficient than conventional models. Televisions meeting EPA’s new, more stringent Energy Star specifications will be available in stores nationwide starting May 1, 2010.

STATE STANDARD?
In October, state regulators in Massachusetts petitioned the U.S. Department of Energy for the right to impose energy efficiency standards for gas furnaces that are higher than federal standards. DOE efficiency standards normally preempt state standards for furnaces and other appliances covered by federal law; however, a state can get permission to impose a stricter standard if it can prove it has an unusual and compelling interest that makes it necessary. Thus far, no state has succeeded with such a claim.

NOVEL SPRINKLER
The Automist, a low-cost sprinkler system that connects to a kitchen sink to automatically fight kitchen fires, has won the James Dyson Award, an international design award. Two students at the Royal College of Art, London, United Kingdom, invented the system after examining conventional home fire-fighting products and conversing with London firefighters for a university project.

E-WASTE RECYCLING
Processes and polices governing the reuse and recycling of electronic products need to be standardized worldwide to stem and reverse the growing problem of illegal and harmful e-waste processing practices in developing countries, according to the first international e-waste academy. The event took place at the Philips High Tech Campus in Eindhoven, Netherlands, with participants from 15 countries. Topics ranging from policy, technology and economics to the social challenges of reducing e-waste were explored at the event.

RENESAS, NEC MERGE
Renesas Technology, Tokyo, Japan, and NEC Electronics, Kawasaki, Japan, have agreed on details of a merger. The companies also said they would raise approximately $2.2 billion in new equity from their controlling shareholders, NEC, Hitachi, and Mitsubishi Electric. This will leave the three parent companies holding roughly equal shares of the merged entity. The new company will provide MCUs, SoCs, and discrete products.

A.O. SMITH CHINA
A.O. Smith Corp., Milwaukee, Wis., has signed an agreement to purchase a majority interest in the water treatment business of Tianlong Holding Co., Hong Kong, China, a manufacturer of reverse-osmosis appliances and water treatment equipment. A newly formed company, A.O. Smith (Shanghai) Water Treatment Products Cp. Ltd., will hold the assets of the business and supply reverse osmosis water filtration products to the Chinese residential and commercial markets as well as export markets.

AHAM UPDATE
The Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM), Washington, D.C., has received approval of the ANSI/AHAM PAC-1-2009, performance standard for portable air-conditioners from the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). This approval establishes the ANSI/AHAM PAC-1-2009 as the American National Standard. Also, AHAM has published a revised technical standard for food waste disposers, known as AHAM FWD-1-2009. This standard establishes a standard method for measuring specified product characteristics of household food waste disposers.

SPEEDING SMART GRID
The U.S. Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Gaithersburg, Md., has unveiled an accelerated plan for developing standards to transform the U.S. power distribution system into a secure, more efficient, and environmentally friendly smart grid, while at the same time creating clean-energy jobs. The 90-page document indentifies about 80 initial standards that will enable the vast number of interconnected devices and systems that will make up the nationwide smart grid to communicate and work with each other. These standards will support interoperability of all the various pieces of the system—ranging from large utility companies to individual homes and electronic devices. The report also lists a set of 14 priority action plans that address the most important gaps in the initial standard set.

SMART DRYERS
Whirlpool Corp., Benton Harbor, Mich., has announced that it will produce 1 million Smart Energy clothes dryers by the end of 2011, as part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Smart Grid Investment Grant program. These U.S.-manufactured appliances will be capable of reacting intelligently to signals from the smart grid by modifying their energy consumption to save consumers money on their home electric bills. In markets where utilities offer variable or time-of-use pricing, these dryers could save a typical consumer $20 to $40 per year, while also benefitting the environment.

EXTREME TESTING
A senior scientist at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, Colo., working with researchers in Russia and Arizona, has developed a way to shine the equivalent of 50 suns on new products for outdoor durability testing. With the technology, manufacturers can determine how paints or anti-corrosive materials will be affected by 10 years of sunlight exposure after only 10 weeks of test time. The Ultra-Accelerated Weathering System reflects virtually all of the sun’s ultraviolet rays onto samples, but attenuates the visible and near-infrared rays.

CO STANDARD ALIGNMENT
In a change that would bring its residential ventilation and indoor air quality standard closer in line with that of the 2009 International Residential Code, ASHRAE, Atlanta, Ga., is proposing that carbon monoxide (CO) alarms be required in homes. Under proposed addendum l to ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 62.2-2007, Ventilation and Acceptable Indoor Air Quality in Low-Rise Residential Buildings, carbon monoxide alarms would be required outside of each sleeping area.

NANOSAFETY
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Washington, D.C., has outlined a new research strategy to better understand how manufacturer nanomaterials may harm human health and the environment. Nanomaterials are between approximately one and 100 nanometers. A nanometer is approximately 1/100,000 the width of a human hair. These materials are currently used in hundreds of consumer products, including sunscreen, cosmetics, and sports equipment. The strategy outlines what research EPA will support during the next several years to generate information about the safe use of nanotechnology and products that contain nano-scale materials.

LIGHT BALL BEARINGS
Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing and Advanced Materials (IFAM), Dresden, Germany, working in cooperation with hollomet GmbH, Dresden, Germany, have developed rapidly reacting ball valves and bearings. The researchers have been able to produce hollow metal spheres in 2-mm to 10-mm diameters, making the spheres 40 percent to 70 percent lighter than solid counterparts. The process starts with polystyrene balls, which are lifted up and held by an air current over a fluidized bed while a suspension consisting of metal powder and binder is sprayed onto them. When the metal layer on the balls is thick enough, heat treatment begins, which evaporates the polystyrene and binder material.

WI-FI UPDATE
The Wi-Fi Alliance, Austin, Texas, has begun product testing for its Wi-Fi Certified n program, updating its two-year-old Wi-Fi Certified 802.11n draft 2.0 program. The updated program adds testing for some popular optional features now more widely available in Wi-Fi equipment. Such features include test support for simultaneous transmission of up to three spatial streams; packet aggregation (A-MPDU); space-time block coding (STBC); and channel coexistence measures for good-neighbor behavior when using 40 MHz operation in the 2.4 GHz band.

WIRELESS POWER
Sony Corp., Tokyo, Japan, has developed a highly efficient wireless power transfer system that eliminates the use of power cables from electronic products such as TVs. Using this system, up to 60 W of electrical energy can be transferred over a distance of 50 cm at an efficiency of approximately 80 percent (approximately 60 percent including rectifier). This new wireless power transfer system incorporates a form of contactless electrical energy transmission technology based on magnetic resonance. With magnetic resonance, electromagnetic energy is only transferred to recipient devices that share the identical resonant frequencies as the energy source, so energy transfer efficiency is maintained, even when misalignment occurs.

SEWER IN A BOX
A researcher at Missouri University of Science and Technology has developed a self-contained wastewater treatment system that is small enough to be transported by helicopter to a forward-operating military base. Inhabiting repurposed shipping containers, Professor Jianmin Wang’s baffled bioreactor system uses microorganisms to break down organic wastes and has a maintenance-free settling chamber for sludge return. While initially developed for the military, Wang says the concept could be used for small towns or as part of disaster recovery efforts.

CE MERGER OK
The European Union has approved Panasonic’s takeover of Sanyo Electric under the condition that Sanyo sells a European battery plant to avoid a decrease of competition in that market. The largest such deal ever will create one of the world’s largest makers of consumer electronics. Both companies are based in Osaka, Japan, which has already approved. Clearance will also be required in the U.S. and China.

SOUND IDEA
A research collaboration led by the University of Nottingham in the U.K. had developed a three-in-one appliance designed to simultaneously supply refrigeration, electricity, and heat for cooking. The appliance can be powered by burning wood or some other available biomass. The heat from the burning fuel can be used for cooking, but can also be used to make electricity in a two-step conversion process employing a gas-filled pipe. The fire at one end of the pipe creates a temperature gradient in the pipe that triggers acoustic waves, which are then harnessed by a linear alternator to produce electricity. The pipe’s vibrations can also be passed onto another thermoacoustic engine to generate a cooling effect for refrigeration. Most importantly, the heating, cooling, and electrical generation can all be achieved concurrently. The device is intended to be an affordable, versatile product that would help address power needs of rural communities in developing nations. The product is currently undergoing field trials in the U.K. and in Nepal.

GE Appliance hybrid water heater.

HYBRID HEATING
HD Supply Utilities, Orlando, Fla., an electric utilities distributor, has entered into an agreement with GE Consumer & Industrial, Louisville, Ky., to supply the new GE hybrid water heater to electric utilities for residential customers. The new smart appliance is Energy Star qualified and can reduce energy consumption by up to 62 percent, helping utilities to achieve their energy conservation program goals. Ideally suited for utilities’ smart grid initiatives, the GE hybrid water heater is demand response capable, with four pre-programmed settings, and adaptable to multiple communication protocols.

THIN VEIN SENSOR
Hitachi, Ltd., Tokyo, has developed a finger vein authentication module that is only 3 mm thick. Finger vein authentication is a biometric identification technology that employs near-infrared light to observe finger vein patterns. The significant decrease in thickness was made possible by use of a new contactless flat sensor and a new signal processing technology reduces interference from external light sources and sunlight. The thinner module makes it more feasible to use the technology in space restricted products, such as mobile devices.

CELL PHONE MICROSCOPE
Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, have mounted a portable microscope onto a cell phone in an effort to take clinical microscopy out of specialized laboratories and into field settings for disease screening and diagnoses. The prototype unit, called CellScope, can take color images of malaria parasites and can also take images of tuberculosis bacteria labeled with fluorescent markers. The images then can be analyzed on site or wirelessly transmitted to clinical centers for remote diagnosis.

PROPANE TRIMMER
The Lehr Eco Trimmer, developed by Lehr, Los Angeles, is a handheld grass trimmer that uses a standard 16.4 oz. propane canister as a fuel source. The unit was one of seven products that earned a Clean Air Excellence Award from the U.S. EPA in 2009. The Eco Trimmer creates up to 70 percent less smog-producing hydrocarbons and 96 percent fewer toxins and carcinogens than gasoline, according to studies by the Southwest Research Institute. Lehr is working to extend applications for its patented propane technology to include an Eco Blower and Eco Mower by 2010.

Metaklett steel hook-and-loop fastener.

STEEL HOOK AND LOOP
Researchers from the Institute of Metal Forming and Casting at Technical University, Munich, Germany, have developed a new twist on the familiar hook-and-loop fastener, they’ve made one from spring steel. The key advantages are strength, temperature resistance, and chemical resistance. Called Metaklett, the fastener can withstand a tensile load of up to 35 tonnes per square meter when the force is applied parallel to the fastener, and can withstand 7 tonnes per square meter when the force is applied perpendicular to the fastener. It can also handle temperatures up to 800 DegC. Yet, just as with conventional hook-and-loop, it can be opened and closed repeatedly without tools.

LOW-TECH HEATING REVISITED
In Canada and the U.S., wood burning stoves have been reevaluated as a potentially viable option for home heating. The environmental sustainability of woodstove use is dependent on the consumption of wood from sustainably managed woodlots, as carbon released is reused as the next generation of trees grows. The case for modern woodstoves has developed with the improvement of the products on the market. With the secondary combustion systems on EPA-certified woodstoves, an efficiency gain of 95 percent is achieved over predecessors. Paul Grogan, a plant and ecosystem ecologist and Canadian Research Chair (II) at Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, conducted a case study on the benefits of woodstoves, finding that adding a woodstove to the home can help both consumers’ heating costs as well as the environment. The results were published in The Journal of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Education.

CAMERA STABILIZATION
Canon, Tokyo, Japan, has announced the development of its Hybrid Image Stabilizer, an optical image stabilization technology that compensates for both angle camera shake and shift camera shake. The technology incorporates an angular velocity sensor that detects the extent of angle-based shaking, as well as an acceleration sensor that determines the amount of shift-based camera shake. In addition, the technology employs an algorithm that synthesizes the information from the two sensors to make optimal adjustments.

A&D blood pressure monitor.

TELEHEALTH GROWTH
Cambridge Consultants, Cambridge, U.K., has deployed its Vena software platform for A&D Medical, San Jose, Calif., a manufacturer of measuring, monitoring, controlling, and testing instruments, including telehealth devices. A&D’s blood pressure monitor and weighing scales are among the first wireless Continua certified devices to be made commercially available. The Continua Health Alliance is an organization of more than 200 healthcare and technology companies working to improve the quality of telehealth.

HEAT PUMP EFFICIENCY
The integrated air-source HP-50 heat pump water heater from Rheem Water Heating, Montgomery, Ala., has an energy factor of 2.0, or more than twice the energy efficiency of a standard electric storage water heater. The energy-saving design allows consumers to reduce their carbon footprint by nearly two tons annually. In addition, the water heater qualifies for a federal tax credit as well as state and utility rebates and incentives. A heat pump water heater uses latent heat from ambient air, intensifying the heat and transferring it to water for heating. Intended for residential applications, both new construction and drop-in replacement of existing water heaters, the unit has a storage capacity of 50 gal. and meets the qualifications for an Energy Star listing.

IDEA FOR EVALUATION
A report by North Carolina State University, Raleigh, N.C., states that businesses could do a better job of evaluating new ideas in order to identify products that will be winners in the marketplace. “Exploring New Product Development Project Review Practices” finds that research that correctly evaluates a concept at its very first review—accurately identifying strengths and weaknesses—is closely linked to a new product’s success in the marketplace. Good evaluations later in the process are less critical to the ultimate success of the products, the study says.

DVD PIRACY PROTECTION
The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), Los Angeles, Calif., has announced that its member studios have won a breach of contract lawsuit against China-based DVD player manufacturer Nanjing Wanlida Technology Co. Ltd. Wanlida is prohibited from violating any copy protection requirement of the Content Scramble System (CSS) license agreement. Additionally, the studios are allowed to review and test any new products from Wanlida that incorporate the CSS technology before those products go to market. The MPAA member studios filed suit in June 2008 after an MPAA investigation revealed that Wanlida was manufacturing and selling DVD players without some of the content security features used to prohibit unlawful reproduction and distribution of motion pictures in breach of the CSS license agreement.

VENTILATION AND DISEASE
As health and school officials deal with a second wave of the H1N1 virus, commonly referred to as swine flu, new information is available on health consequences of exposure to such airborne infectious diseases and the implications on the design, installation, and operation of HVAC/R systems. While the long-standing public health view is that influenza transmission occurs through direct contact or large droplets, the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) announced that newer data suggests such transmission also occurs through the airborne route, suggesting that HVAC/R systems may contribute to transmission of the disease and, therefore, can also contribute to reduction of that same transmission risk. To provide guidance on the issue, ASHRAE has released a position document titled “Airborne Infectious Diseases” that addresses the impact of ventilation on disease transmission, the diseases for which ventilation is important for either transmission or control, and the control strategies that are available for implementation in buildings. The paper can be read at www.ashrae.org/positiondocuments. ASHRAE said that several technical solutions are available to assist in avoiding transmission of diseases such as H1N1 influenza virus. These include: dilution ventilation, airflow strategies, room pressurization, personalized ventilation, source control, filtration, and ultraviolet germicidal irradiation.

Forays into the Future

The eight finalists in the Electrolux Design Lab 2009 competition envisioned some really far-out, futuristic appliances, which is exactly what they were supposed to do. Established in 2003, Electrolux Design Lab is an annual, global design competition open to undergraduate and graduate industrial design students who are invited to present innovative ideas for household appliances of the future.

Each competition carries a different theme to provide direction for the entrants. For the seventh edition, students were invited to send in their home appliance ideas for the next 90 years in celebration of the Electrolux 90-year anniversary. The mission was to create thoughtfully designed products that would shape how people prepare and store food, wash clothes, or clean dishes over the next nine decades.

This year more than 900 entries were submitted from students in more than 50 countries. A jury of internationally recognized designers judged the entries based on intuitive design, innovation, and consumer insight. The Cocoon concept took the top prize, which is EUR 5,000 and a six-month paid internship at one of Electrolux global design centers. Water Catcher took second place, and Renew came in third. The Teleport Fridge was designated the People’s Choice, as determined by online voting.

All eight finalists are pictured here.

Cocoon, by Rickard Hederstierna, Lund Institute of Technology, Sweden. (First place.) Similar to heating popcorn in a microwave, Cocoon prepares genetically engineered and pre-packaged meat and fish dishes by heating muscle cells identified by RFID.

Water Catcher, by Penghao Shan, Zhejiang Sci-tech University, China. This automated device dispatches small flying balls in the air to catch rain drops. After the rain drops are collected the balls return to a homing tray that purifies the water for drinking.

Teleport Fridge, by Dulyawat Wongnawa, Chulalongkorn University, Thailand. This appliances saves time and travel by teleporting food directly from the store to the refrigerator.

Renew, by Louis Filosa, Purdue University, U.S. This smart steamer refreshes and cleans clothes and uses an infrared scanner and RFID to identify garments and fabrics.

Naturewash, by Zhenpeng Li, Zhejiang University, China. This waterless clothes washer machine uses negative ions to wash nano-coated fabrics.

Moléculaire, by Nico Kläber, Köln International School of Design, Germany. This computer-controlled, 3D molecular food printer for residential and commercial kitchens autonomously prepares basic and complex meals.

Le Petit Prince, by Martin Miklica, VUT Brno, Czech Republic. This robotic greenhouse will facilitate the future exploration and population of Mars by tending plants and searching for nutrients.

Bifoliate, by Toma Brundzaite, Vilnius Academy of Art, Lithuania. This space-saving, wall-mounted double, ultrasonic dishwasher allows the user to put dirty dishes in one compartment and use the other as a shelf for clean dishes.

Design Contest OPENS

The 23rd annual Excellence in Design competition, held by appliance DESIGN magazine, is now accepting entries. The competition is open to OEMs and industrial design firms worldwide. Product categories include residential and commercial appliances and HVAC, electronics, business machines, medical and test equipment, outdoor and leisure appliances, and lighting. The deadline for entries is Feb. 5, 2010. Winners will be showcased in the June 2010 issue of appliance DESIGN. Instructions, rules, deadlines, and entry forms are available at:

www.appliance DESIGN.com/EID