Australian
Screen

an NFSA website

Beyond Tomorrow – Episode 51 (2006)

play
clip Modern appliances

Original classification rating: PG. This clip chosen to be G

Clip description

Electrolux asked design students from around the world to come up with a set of designs for household gadgets for 2020. The result is a collection on show at the Sydney Powerhouse Museum.

Curator’s notes

Sara Groen takes us through a series of extraordinary household inventions: the shoes that double as a vacuum cleaner; a device to stop shoes becoming smelly; and a washing machine that cleans without water. She explains their uses but doesn’t speak to the inventors about how their inventions were conceived. It would have been interesting to hear these futurists tell how they came up with their designs, as well as what they think about the 21st century and where it all might lead.