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A sneak look at the next generation of high-concept appliances.
By Kristi Cameron and Paul Makovsky
April 2002
Just as the automotive industry makes its concept cars, major kitchen manufacturers
produce equally futuristic prototypes behind the closed doors of their R&D
labs. "To stay ahead, we believe it is imperative to offer customers
new and innovative products--solutions that matter," says Han Arets
of Whirlpool Europe. "Not only does that mean we need to have intimate
knowledge about the use of our products, we also need to understand consumer
attitudes and behaviors." That knowledge may come from doing behavioral
studies--as Design Continuum did in developing its dishwasher table--or
by exhibiting prototypes and getting the public's reaction, which Whirlpool
Europe did with a rethinking of the microwave. Some of the products on these
pages are purely conceptual; others are now on the market. Whether or not
they all see the light of day, the brainstorming behind such innovations
will ultimately change the way we cook and eat.
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