ASP projects

sMAIN: Innovative Small Appliances & Accessories

sMAIN is a project completely focused on innovation and product development. It originates from a collaboration between Alta Scuola Politecnica and Electrolux Company and the main goal was to conceive a completely new product to be used in households, in particular in the kitchen area.
During the two years of our group work on this project, we went through various phases in order to reach an innovative solution in the multinational and multidisciplinary environment that characterized our team. In order to achieve the best solution for the company we used our knowledge and competences from the wide range of areas that are related to the topic of kitchen appliances and accessories.
At the beginning, there was no problem to be solved and since we wanted a solution, we had to find the problem ourselves. This means we did a preliminary market research and tried to gather information about the needs and the opinions of normal people that use their kitchens.
After having realized that oven cleaning is one of the most disliked kitchen activities of the users, we have decided to create a more professional solution in order to make this task easier and safer.
The main idea was to develop a glove, equipped with some sponges and different for its dimensions and materials from any other normal glove, that could make easier the task of cleaning the oven. We thought about all the details of our product, from shape to materials, from costs to distribution strategies.
Finally, we came up with the Oven Cleaning Kit, as a single solution, that figures the glove and other useful tools, that will not only make cleaning an oven simpler, but which takes, as well, into consideration the safety of users while they are performing this task – complying with the most sustainable and ecologically conscious way.

Principal academic tutors
Alessandro Deserti, Politecnico di Milano – Dept. of Industrial, Design, Arts, Communication and Fashion

Academic tutors
Stefano Pastorelli, Politecnico di Torino – DIMEAS – Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Barbara Previtalli, Politecnico di Milano – Department of Mechanics

External institutions
AB Electrolux

External tutors
Chiara Ciardetti, AB Electrolux

Team members
Marialuisa Grizzuti, Electronics Engineering; Politecnico di Milano
Miroslav Kiš, Urban Planning and Policy Design; Politecnico di Milano
Ksenija Perović, Product Service System Design; Politecnico di Milano
Elena Pugliese, Electronics Engineering, Politecnico di Torino
Sanja Savić, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering; Politecnico di Milano
Teodora Tasić, Product Service System Design; Politecnico di Milano
Elisa Zocca, Management, Economics and Industrial Engineering; Politecnico di Milano

Download the poster of the Project