Saturday, February 24, 2007
Revisit: Nanoplastics - A Home System from the 1990’s at the Illinois Institute of Technology
Back in 1992, Nanoplastics was one of two projects conducted in the Illinois Intitute of Technology, Institute of Design’s Systems and Systemic Design course. Charles Owen and his students speculated on the future of design using nanoplastics. It was widely reported on in the press and through tours at the time. The kitchen section was always my favorite:
This quote is from the January 1995 The Futurist article about this project:
Foodware: Traditional bowls and dishes hardly exist in the future kitchen. At your request, a foodware bowl senses the presence of food and forms itself up from the countertop into various dish shapes suitable for preparing, cooking, or serving. The bowl can either keep food warm or keep it preserved without the need for a refrigerator.
Wet island: You can place your pots and pans with their baked-on stains atop the permeable, wavelike surface of the wet island, and then watch them sink down into a bath of scrubbing nanoplastic detergent. The wash plane in the center cleans individual dishes as you pass them under its arc. The architiles supplying water to the wet island’s central compartment also channel water to support indoor plants.
The report was updated in 2004 which is great as it’s now easily available for a new generation. Enjoy! The pdf can be downloaded here.