GEL REFRIGERATOR

Most fridges are horribly inefficient, leaking loads of cold air every time you open them – particularly old refrigerator-and-freezer combinations with a single unified door. Not only is this design concept worlds less wasteful by comparison, but it maintains the classic all-in-one-space approach without sacrificing the ideal temperature of anything it contains.

Surface tension holds each piece of meat or produce suspended in place, but lets you access the products through a self-parting, non-sticking ‘smart surface’ the folds away as needed (all the while deflecting UV and other food-harming rays).

The design draws heat energy from the surrounding air, and converts it to cool what is contained within. Since the gel expands as it is filled, the fridge takes up relatively little space when not packed full and ‘shrinks’ against the wall instead.

Nanotechnology is at the heart of how the design works, with microscopic robots identifying the necessary temperatures for each item being stored and adjusting local heat and cold accordingly. Sound far-fetched? Try going back and time and telling people with old-fashioned ice boxes about refrigerators! (Design by Yuriy Dmitriev for Electrolux)